nbu-netbackup7.5 adminguide vmware

Symantec NetBackup™ forVMware Administrator'sGuide

Release 7.5

21220080

Symantec NetBackup™ for VMware GuideThe software described in this book is furnished under a license agreement and may be usedonly in accordance with the terms of the agreement.

Documentation version: 7.5

PN: 21220080

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Printed in the United States of America.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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www.symantec.com/business/support/

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Contacting Technical SupportCustomers with a current support agreement may access Technical Supportinformation at the following URL:


Before contacting Technical Support, make sure you have satisfied the systemrequirements that are listed in your product documentation. Also, you should beat the computer on which the problem occurred, in case it is necessary to replicatethe problem.

When you contact Technical Support, please have the following informationavailable:

■ Product release level



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■ Network topology

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■ Problem description:

■ Error messages and log files

■ Troubleshooting that was performed before contacting Symantec

■ Recent software configuration changes and network changes

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[email protected] America and Latin America

mailto:[email protected]



Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Chapter 1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

About NetBackup for VMware .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13New features for VMware in NetBackup 7.5 ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Upgrade guidelines for the new VMware policy type .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Support for VCB in NetBackup 7.5 ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16File-level backup of Windows virtual machines ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16About the virtual machine backups that include database

data ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Features for VMware added in NetBackup 7.1 ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

NetBackup for VMware components ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Media servers as backup or discovery hosts ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Overview of the VMware backup process ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21NetBackup for VMware license requirement ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22NetBackup for VMware terminology .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Chapter 2 Required tasks: overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Overview of VMware tasks ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Overview of NetBackup tasks ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Chapter 3 Notes and prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

NetBackup for VMware prerequisites ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31NetBackup for VMware: notes and restrictions ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32NetBackup for VMware: notes on Linux virtual machines ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34NetBackup character restrictions for virtual machine display

names .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35Notes on the hotadd transport mode .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35Creating a helper virtual machine for hotadd transport ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Chapter 4 Configure NetBackup access to VMware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Adding the VMware backup host to NetBackup .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39Adding NetBackup credentials for VMware .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40Changing the host name of a VMware server in NetBackup .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Contents

Setting privileges for posting events to vCenter ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43Setting global limits on the use of VMware resources ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Chapter 5 Configure NetBackup policies for VMware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Configuring a VMware policy from the Policy Wizard .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47Configuring a VMware policy from the Policies utility ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48Backup options on the VMware tab .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

VMware backup host selection .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52Optimizations options (VMware) ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52Primary VM identifier options (VMware) ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Orphaned snapshot handling options (VMware) ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Transport modes options (VMware) ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Application protection options (VMware) ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56VMware - Advanced Attributes dialog .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57About the Exclude disk options for Virtual disk selection .... . . . . . . . . . . . 60Virtual disk selection options: examples to avoid ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Browse for VMware Virtual Machines ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61Limiting the VMware servers that NetBackup searches when browsing

for virtual machines ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65Virtual machine host names and display names must be unique in a

master server's policies ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66Primary VM identifier option and manual selection of virtual

machines ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67About incremental backups of virtual machines ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68Configuring incremental backups .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68Volume Manager volumes in the virtual machine .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69About older NetBackup policies and pre-7.x backup hosts ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Chapter 6 Configure automatic selection of virtual machinesfor backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

About automatic virtual machine selection for NetBackup forVMware .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

The basics of a NetBackup query rule ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73Important notes on automatic virtual machine selection .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74NetBackup requirements for automatic virtual machine

selection .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77Automatic virtual machine selection: Task overview .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77Options for selecting VMware virtual machines ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78Configuring automatic virtual machine selection .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81Editing an existing query in Basic Mode .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84Using the Query Builder in Advanced Mode .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84AND vs OR in queries ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Contents8

Examples for the NetBackup Query Builder ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86The IsSet operator in queries ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88Multiple VMware policies that work together ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88Order of operations in queries (precedence rules) ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89Parentheses in compound queries ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91Query rules for resource pools ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92Query rules for datacenter folders (HostFolder) ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93Query Builder field reference .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94Test Query screen .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101Test Query: Failed virtual machines ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103Effect of Primary VM identifier parameter on Selection column in

Test Query results ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104Effect of Primary VM identifier parameter on VM Name column in

Test query results ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Chapter 7 Reduce the size of backups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

About reducing the size of VMware backups .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109Block-level backup (BLIB): full vs incremental ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110Deleting a vSphere Client snapshot ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111Using VMware's Changed Block Tracking for full backups only ... . . . . . . . . 112

Chapter 8 Back up virtual machines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Backing up virtual machines ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115Using the Activity Monitor to monitor virtual machine backups .... . . . . . . 117Viewing NetBackup activity in vSphere Client ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119Using OpsCenter to report on virtual machine backups .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Chapter 9 Restore virtual machines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Restore notes and restrictions ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123Restore notes and restrictions on Linux .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126Restoring the full VMware virtual machine .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

Virtual Machine Recovery dialog boxes (restore to originallocation) ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

Virtual Machine Recovery dialogs boxes (restore to alternatelocation) ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

About restore of the virtual machine from a VCB backup .... . . . . . . . . . 140Restore Marked Files dialog box (VMware with VCB) ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

About restore of individual files ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144Restoring individual files ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Setting up NetBackup Client Service for restore to a Windowsshared virtual machine drive ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

9Contents

About the NetBackup.lost+found directory on Linux .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147If the recovery host is not at the same NetBackup release level as the

backup host ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Chapter 10 Best practices and more information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

NetBackup for VMware best practices ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151NetBackup for VMware with deduplication .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

More information on VMware .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152Further assistance with NetBackup for VMware .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

Chapter 11 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

NetBackup logging for VMware .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156Other logs for troubleshooting NetBackup for VMware .... . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

VMware environment—important! .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158Preventing browsing delays caused by DNS problems .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158Changing the browsing timeout for virtual machine discovery .... . . . . . . . . 159Changing timeout and logging values for vSphere .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159Notes on troubleshooting NetBackup for VMware .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160Credentials for VMware server are not valid ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161NetBackup status codes related to VMware .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162Snapshot error encountered (status code 156) ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165The restore fails when you restore individual files to a virtual machine

that has NetBackup client software .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166The restore fails if ESX servers use short host names and backups

and restores use a vCenter server ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166Backup or restore job hangs .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167Mount point missing on a restored Windows virtual machine .... . . . . . . . . . 168Mount points not available when restoring files from a Linux virtual

machine .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169Remove the Consolidate Helper snapshot ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169NetBackup catalog information for virtual machine backups made

by 6.5.4 or earlier may prevent browsing the imported imagesfor restore ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

Invalid client error when you restore files using NetBackup BARinterface installed on the virtual machine .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

VMware virtual machine does not restart after restore ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

Appendix A The Reuse VM selection query results option . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

About the Reuse VM selection query results option .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

Contents10

Appendix B Backup of VMware raw devices (RDM) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

About VMware raw device mapping (RDM) .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173Configurations for backing up RDMs .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174About alternate client backup of RDMs .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174Requirements for alternate client backup of RDMs .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174Configuring alternate client backup of RDMs .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Appendix C SYMCquiesce utility for Linux virtual machines . . . . . . . . . 179

About the SYMCquiesce utility ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179Requirements for the SYMCquiesce utility ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180Installing the SYMCquiesce utility ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180Configuration options for the SYMCquiesce utility ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181SYMCquiesce logging and troubleshooting .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

11Contents

Contents12

Introduction

This chapter includes the following topics:

■ About NetBackup for VMware

■ NetBackup for VMware components

■ Media servers as backup or discovery hosts

■ Overview of the VMware backup process

■ NetBackup for VMware license requirement

■ NetBackup for VMware terminology

About NetBackup for VMwareNetBackup for VMware provides backup and restore of the VMware virtualmachines that run on VMware ESX servers. NetBackup for VMware takes advantageof VMware vStorage APIs for data protection. The backup process is off-loadedfrom the ESX server to a VMware backup host.

NetBackup for VMware does the following:

■ Performs off-host backup of virtual machines (NetBackup client software isnot required on the virtual machine). Off-host backup reduces the backupprocessing load on the VMware host.

■ Increases the backup speed as compared to standard file-order backup methods,if the virtual machine is heavily populated with small files.

■ Automatically creates quiesced snapshots using VSS (Windows only). Createsquiesced snapshots on Linux if the SYMCquiesce utility is installed.

■ Uses snapshot technology to keep virtual machines 100% available to users.

■ Supports VMware vSphere.

1Chapter

■ Performs full backups and incremental backups, including block-levelincrementals.

■ Backs up the full virtual machine.

■ Backs up the virtual machines even when they are turned off.

■ Can restore selected files from the backup.

New features for VMware in NetBackup 7.5The following features are new in NetBackup 7.5:

■ Streamlined policy configuration for VMwareNetBackup includes a VMware policy type that simplifies policy configuration.Backup options for VMware are now combined on a new VMware policy tab.See “Upgrade guidelines for the new VMware policy type” on page 15.The new VMware policy type uses vStorage to perform the backup (not VCB).Support for VCB-based backups is still available for NetBackup 7.1 or earlierclients by means of the FlashBackup-Windows policy type.See “Support for VCB in NetBackup 7.5” on page 16.If you upgrade to 7.5 from an earlier NetBackup release and do not use VCB,you should convert your policies to the new VMware type. You can use thenbplupgrade command (see next item).

■ New command (nbplupgrade) to convert a batch of policies from earlier 7.x to7.5.For details, see the nbplupgrade man page in the NetBackup CommandsReference Guide.

■ Backup media serverNetBackup supports the use of a Windows media server as the backup host ordiscovery host. This feature can provide host redundancy and faster backups.See “Media servers as backup or discovery hosts” on page 20.

■ Extended capabilities for the Virtual Machine Intelligent PolicyFor automatic selection of virtual machines for backup, the policy's QueryBuilder adds several new datastore and network keywords for filtering virtualmachines. These keywords provide better integration with NFS and cloudenvironments.See “Query Builder field reference” on page 94.

■ The Host Properties Resource Limits dialog adds several resource types fordatastore.See “Setting global limits on the use of VMware resources” on page 44.

■ NetBackup can send backup related events to the vCenter server.

IntroductionAbout NetBackup for VMware

14

See “Viewing NetBackup activity in vSphere Client” on page 119.

■ Support for vSphere version 5, including datastore clusters and Storage DRSaffinity rules.See “Query Builder field reference” on page 94.See “Virtual Machine Options dialog box” on page 132.

■ Application Aware VMware BackupDuring virtual machine backup, NetBackup can map the database files thatreside in the virtual machine. This feature enables recovery of individualdatabase files from the backup. This feature supports Microsoft ExchangeServer, SQL Server, and SharePoint Server.See “ About the virtual machine backups that include database data”on page 16.See “Application protection options (VMware)” on page 56.For details on restoring database files from a virtual machine backup, refer tothe NetBackup database agent guide for your application.

■ Extended support for restore of individual files from Linux virtual machinebackupsSupports ext4 file systems for individual file recovery.Details are available in the following tech note:http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH127089

Upgrade guidelines for the new VMware policy typeNote these guidelines for upgrading to the 7.5 VMware policy type:

■ For VCB backups with the ESX servers that are older than 3.5 U2:

■ The FlashBackup-Windows policy is required.

■ The VCB backup host (NetBackup Windows client) must be a pre-7.5 version,for example 7.1.0.x.See “Support for VCB in NetBackup 7.5” on page 16.

■ To use the new VMware policy type, all master servers, media servers, andclients must be upgraded to 7.5.

■ Do not convert any FlashBackup-Windows policies until you have verified thatthe current policies work correctly with 7.5.

FlashBackup-Windows policies can be converted in either of the followingways:

■ The NetBackup Administration Console policy editor, by changing thepolicy type to VMware.

15IntroductionAbout NetBackup for VMware

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH127089

■ The nbplupgradeCLI can be used to convert policies in a batch. For details,see nbplupgrade in the NetBackup Commands Reference Guide.

Support for VCB in NetBackup 7.5For NetBackup 7.5 environments (master server, media server, and backup hostall at 7.5), VCB backups are not supported. VCB backups are supported only whenthe backup host (NetBackup client) is 7.1 or earlier. For VCB-based backups with7.1 or earlier backup hosts, you can use the FlashBackup-Windows policy type asdescribed in theNetBackup forVMwareAdministrator's Guide, version 7.1 or 7.0.

VCB restores are still supported for 7.5 clients, but will be discontinued in a futurerelease.

NetBackup will discontinue all VCB support in a future release. Upgrading tovStorage is recommended.

File-level backup of Windows virtual machinesNetBackup 7.5 backs up the entire VMware virtual machine as virtual disk files.The backup includes all data files as well as operating system files and VMwarevirtual disk files. From the backup, you can recover the guest OS and the entirevirtual machine. Depending on the type of backup and the guest OS file systemtype, you can also recover individual files from the same backup.

NetBackup 7.5 environments (master server, media server, and backup host allat 7.5) do not support file-level backup of Windows virtual machines. Windowsfile-level backup of a VMware virtual machine requires VCB. VCB is supportedonly for 7.1 and earlier backup hosts (clients).

To use VCB to back up individual Windows files, the backup host must contain aNetBackup client at 7.1 or earlier. For more information on Windows file-levelbackup, refer to the 7.0 or 7.1 version of theNetBackup forVMwareAdministrator'sGuide.

About the virtual machine backups that include database dataWhen NetBackup backs up a VMware virtual machine, database data in the virtualmachine is backed up with the rest of the virtual machine. A new feature inNetBackup 7.5 allows the recovery of individual database files from the backup.This feature supports Microsoft Exchange Server, SQL Server, and SharePointServer.

Note the following:

IntroductionAbout NetBackup for VMware

16

■ To enable restore of individual database files, a NetBackup Windows clientmust be installed in the virtual machine during the backup.

■ NetBackup uses Windows Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) to quiesce thedatabase before it creates a snapshot of the virtual machine.

■ A full backup is performed of the database data with each backup job, even ifthe policy schedule is incremental.

See “Application protection options (VMware)” on page 56.

Features for VMware added in NetBackup 7.1The following features were added in NetBackup 7.1:

■ Virtual Machine Intelligent PolicyNetBackup can automatically select virtual machines for backup by means offiltering rules in the policy. The policy Clients tab includes a Query Builderfor creating the rules. Requires vStorage.See “About automatic virtual machine selection for NetBackup for VMware”on page 72.

■ Limits on NetBackup use of virtual resourcesYou can limit the number of simultaneous backups that NetBackup performson VMware resources, such as vCenter servers or datastores. Applies only topolicies that use automatic selection of virtual machines.See “Setting global limits on the use of VMware resources” on page 44.

■ In addition to host name, VMware display name, or UUID, NetBackup can nowback up virtual machines by their DNS host name.

■ The Browse for Virtual Machines screen allows manual selection of virtualmachines within VMware clusters and vApps.

■ Restore of individual files from Linux virtual machine backups.See “NetBackup for VMware: notes on Linux virtual machines” on page 34.

NetBackup for VMware componentsTable 1-1 describes the components that NetBackup for VMware uses.

17IntroductionNetBackup for VMware components

Table 1-1 Components of NetBackup for VMware

DescriptionComponent

NetBackup for VMware uses a special Windows host that is called a VMware backup host(formerly called the VMware backup proxy server). The backup host is a NetBackup clientthat performs backups on behalf of the virtual machines. The backup host must have accessto the datastores of the virtual machines.

The backup host is the only host on which NetBackup client software is installed. No NetBackupclient software is required on the VMware virtual machines.

Note that the backup host is referred to as the recovery host when it performs a restore.

The backup host can be configured in either of the following ways:

■ As a NetBackup Windows client with a connection to separate master and media servers.The master servers and media servers can be Windows, UNIX, or Linux.

■ Or, the NetBackup Windows client and a Windows master and media server can all resideon the same backup host. In this case, all NetBackup components (servers and client) mustbe Windows.

Backup host

Used for the automatic selection of virtual machines for backup. This host discovers virtualmachines and filters them by means of the selection rules in the policy Query Builder. Theresulting list determines which virtual machines are backed up.

The discovery host can be on any platform that NetBackup supports for master or mediaservers. It can also be the same host as the backup host.

You specify this host on the policy Clients tab: Click Select automatically through query,then NetBackup host to perform automatic virtual machine selection.

Discovery host

A Windows media server that can operate as the backup host.

See “Media servers as backup or discovery hosts” on page 20.

Backup media server

Installed on the backup host (Windows).NetBackup client

Manages the backups of virtual machines, by means of the NetBackup client that is installedon the backup host.

NetBackup masterserver

Performs the backups to storage on behalf of the NetBackup client.NetBackup mediaserver

Virtual machines provide complete guest operating systems on virtualized hardware. In aNetBackup policy, a virtual machine is configured as a NetBackup client, even thoughNetBackup client software is not installed on the virtual machine.

Virtual machine

The VMware ESX server presents a virtualized hardware environment to multiple virtualmachines; each virtual machine runs an independent operating system. Users can runapplications in the virtualized OS as if the OS was installed in its own physical computer.

ESX server

IntroductionNetBackup for VMware components

18

Table 1-1 Components of NetBackup for VMware (continued)

DescriptionComponent

The VMware vCenter Server (or VirtualCenter server) coordinates multiple ESX servers andworkloads. It can migrate virtual machines from one ESX server to another. It also providesthe ability to back up the virtual machines that are turned off.

The vCenter Server is optional in the NetBackup for VMware environment.

vCenter Server

For the backups that were made with VCB, the VMware Converter server assists in full virtualmachine restores to the ESX server. The Converter must be installed on the same host as thebackup host.

Converter server

Note that the VMware NetBackup Integration Module (VNIM) is not required.Conflicts can occur between NetBackup for VMware policies and any olderscript-based policies that use VNIM.

Figure 1-1 shows a NetBackup for VMware environment on a local network. Thebackup host accesses the VMware datastore through the ESX servers.

Figure 1-1 NetBackup for VMware: components on local network

LAN / WAN

VMwaredatastore

vCenterserver

ESXservers

Virtual machinesVM VM VM

VM VM VM

NetBackup media serverUNIX, Linux, or Windows

NetBackup master serverUNIX, Linux, or Windows

Backup hostNetBackup Windows client.(Can be combined with aWindows master/media server)

Figure 1-2 shows a NetBackup for VMware environment on a SAN. The backuphost accesses the VMware datastore directly over the SAN.

19IntroductionNetBackup for VMware components

Figure 1-2 NetBackup for VMware: components on SAN

LAN / WAN

VMware datastore(Must be available toVMware backup host)

vCenterserver

ESXservers


VM VM VM

SAN

NetBackup media serverUNIX, Linux, or Windows


Backup hostNetBackup Windows client.(Can be combined with aWindows master/media server)

Media servers as backup or discovery hostsNetBackup for VMware uses a special Windows host that is called a VMwarebackup host. The backup host is a NetBackup client that performs off-host backupsof the virtual machines. The backup host must have access to the datastores ofthe virtual machines. The backup host reads the data from the datastore and sendsit over the network to the media server. The media server backs up the data tostorage.

For the policies that automatically select virtual machines, the discovery hostfilters virtual machines according to the rules in the policy Query Builder. Thediscovery host returns a list of virtual machines to be selected for backup.

As a new feature in NetBackup 7.5, NetBackup can use media servers as backuphosts and as discovery hosts.

Media servers acting as backup or discovery hosts can provide the followingadvantages:

■ Host redundancy: If one media server goes down, another media server takesover.

■ Faster backup: The media server can read the data from the datastore and sendthe data straight to the storage device. Without media server access to storagedevices, an ordinary backup host must send the backup data over the localnetwork to the media server.

IntroductionMedia servers as backup or discovery hosts

20

Figure 1-3 shows a group of Windows media servers that can also act as backupor discovery hosts. The media servers can discover virtual machines for automaticselection, and perform off-host backups and send the backup data directly tostorage.

Figure 1-3 Windows backup media servers

LAN / WAN

Vmwaredatastore

vCenterserver

ESXservers


VM VM VM


Windows media serversEach has a NetBackup client

storage

You can combine the flexibility of backup media servers with a standard featureof NetBackup: storage unit groups. Create a storage unit group that contains thestorage units that your Windows media servers can access. Any of the mediaservers can operate as a backup host.

Note the following requirements:

■ To configure media servers as backup hosts: Set the policy VMware backuphost field on the VMware tab to Backup Media Server.See “VMware backup host selection” on page 52.

■ To configure media servers as discovery hosts: Set the policy NetBackuphostto perform automatic virtual machine selection field on the Clients tab toBackup Media Server.See “ Options for selecting VMware virtual machines” on page 78.

Overview of the VMware backup processThe following tables describe the phases in the NetBackup backup process (forvStorage).

21IntroductionOverview of the VMware backup process

Table 1-2 NetBackup backup process with vStorage

DescriptionPhase

The NetBackup master server initiates the backup.Phase 1

The NetBackup client on the VMware backup host initiates a VMwaresnapshot on the virtual machine.

Phase 2

Windows: VSS synchronizes the file system on the virtual machine.

Linux: The SYMCquiesce utility can quiesce the file system on supportedLinux operating systems.

See “About the SYMCquiesce utility” on page 179.

Phase 3

The VMware server creates a snapshot on the virtual disk datastore.Phase 4

The NetBackup client reads the snapshot from the datastores and writesthe data to the NetBackup storage unit.

Phase 5

NetBackup for VMware license requirementNetBackup for VMware requires an Enterprise Client license for each ESX Server.

To protect an application or database, note: an additional license for theappropriate NetBackup package is needed for each ESX server that hosts theapplication or database.

NetBackup for VMware terminologyTable 1-3 lists the terminology that is used in NetBackup for VMware.

For further explanations of VMware terminology, refer to your VMwaredocumentation.

IntroductionNetBackup for VMware license requirement

22

Table 1-3 NetBackup for VMware terms

DefinitionTerm

The backup host is a NetBackup client that performs backups onbehalf of the virtual machines. (This host was formerly known asthe VMware backup proxy server.) The backup host is the onlyhost on which NetBackup client software is installed.

As an option, the backup host can also be configured as aNetBackup master server or media server.

The backup host is referred to as the recovery host when itperforms a restore.

See “NetBackup for VMware components” on page 17.

backup host

A media server that operates as a backup host.backup media server

In NetBackup for VMware, the datastore is a disk that containsthe virtual machines files.

datastore

A collection of datastores that can be managed as a single unit.VMware Storage DRS manages the storage resources of the cluster.

datastore cluster

Discovers the virtual machines, filters them according to the rulesin the Query Builder, and returns a list of machines to be selectedfor backup. The discovery host is used only for automatic selectionof virtual machines.

Can be the same host as the VMware backup host.

See “NetBackup for VMware components” on page 17.

discovery host

An operating system that runs on a virtual machine.guest OS

A software virtualization layer that lets different operatingsystems run simultaneously on the same physical computer. TheVMware hypervisor is vSphere, which runs on the ESX serverhost.

hypervisor

23IntroductionNetBackup for VMware terminology

Table 1-3 NetBackup for VMware terms (continued)

DefinitionTerm

A virtual disk that cannot be captured with a snapshot. Anindependent disk can be configured as either persistent ortemporary.

Note: NetBackup for VMware cannot back up the data on anindependent disk. The backup succeeds but the backup imagecontains no data for the independent disk. If you restore the diskfrom the backup, the independent disk is restored to its originalallocation size but contains no data. For example, the Windowsswap file can reside on an independent disk, and is consequentlynot included in the virtual machine backup.

To back up the data on an independent disk, install a NetBackupclient on the virtual machine.

See “NetBackup for VMware: notes and restrictions” on page 32.

independent disk

The combination of rules in the policy's Query Builder, by whichNetBackup selects virtual machines for backup. A query consistsof one or more rules.

query

For creating filtering rules for automatic selection of virtualmachines for backup. The Query Builder is on the Clients tab ofthe NetBackup policy.

Query Builder

A single statement in a query, by which NetBackup selects virtualmachines for backup.

An example of a query rule is: Displayname Contains

"finance"

query rule

Allows a virtual machine to directly access physical disks (on FibreChannel or iSCSI). RDM allows the OS and applications in thevirtual machine to have pass-thru access to raw devices.

NetBackup for VMware cannot back up an RDM disk. NetBackupclient software must be installed in the virtual machine.

See “About VMware raw device mapping (RDM)” on page 173.

Raw device mapping(RDM)

See backup host.recovery host

An execution environment that the hypervisor creates for thecomputer hardware. The resulting virtualized environment allowsdifferent operating systems to run simultaneously on the samephysical computer.

virtual machine

IntroductionNetBackup for VMware terminology

24

Table 1-3 NetBackup for VMware terms (continued)

DefinitionTerm

A logical network that allows the exchange of data between virtualmachines. A virtual network uses a virtual switch (VMwarevSwitch). A virtual network can be connected to a physicalnetwork.

virtual network

In a VMware ESX server, one or more vmdk files make up the diskimage or virtual drive in a virtual machine. The.vmdk files containthe operating system, applications, and data in the virtualmachine.

vmdk file

An off-host backup application programming interface (API)created by VMware. Designed to off load backups from the ESXserver. Supported only on NetBackup 7.1 clients and earlier.

VMware ConsolidatedBackup

Installed inside each VMware virtual machine. Enhances thevirtual machine performance and adds backup-relatedfunctionality.

VMware Tools

Sometimes called the vmx directory or configuration datastore.Contains the configuration files that describe the virtual machine,such as .vmx files. During a backup of a virtual machine snapshot,vmdk writes are also cached on this datastore. Note that a separatevmx datastore is not a VMware requirement.

VMX datastore

VMware vStorage APIs enable data protection features for moreefficient use of storage capacity. NetBackup can use vStorage toback up the latest vSphere environments as well as to back upearlier VMware environments.

vStorage

25IntroductionNetBackup for VMware terminology

IntroductionNetBackup for VMware terminology

26

Required tasks: overview


■ Overview of VMware tasks

■ Overview of NetBackup tasks

Overview of VMware tasksThe VMware components including ESX servers and virtual machines must beset up before you configure NetBackup.

Table 2-1 briefly describes these VMware-specific tasks; further assistance withthese tasks may be found in your VMware documentation.

Table 2-1 VMware tasks

TasksSequence

Set up disk storage on Fibre Channel or iSCSI. The VMware backup hostmust be able to access the disk storage.

Phase 1

Install the VMware ESX server and virtual machines.Phase 2

Install VMware Tools on the virtual machines that you plan to back up.Phase 3

Optional: install a vCenter (or VirtualCenter) server.Phase 4

For recovery of VCB backups: Install the VMware Converter server on theVMware restore host.

The VMware Converter server is not required for vStorage.

Phase 5

Notes:

2Chapter

■ Ensure that the hardware and the SAN are configured properly. The VMwaredatastore where the target virtual machine files exist must be accessible tothe VMware backup host.Note: A SAN connection between the backup host and the datastore is optionalif you use the NBD transfer type or NBDSSL transfer type.

■ VMware has specific hardware and configuration requirements. VMware SANrequirements can be found in the appropriate VMware SAN Configurationguide.

■ VMware requires that ESX server names resolve to an IP address. Symantechighly recommends the use of DNS for the naming resolution among VMwareservers. For DNS configuration instructions for VMware servers, please referto the following VMware site:VMware vSphere Online Library

Overview of NetBackup tasksTable 2-2 lists the NetBackup configuration tasks for VMware. These tasks aredescribed in other NetBackup topics and guides, as indicated.

Table 2-2 NetBackup tasks

TasksSequence

Install the NetBackup 7.5 master server and media server.

See the NetBackup Installation Guide.

Symantec recommends that the NetBackup media server and the VMwarebackup host be installed on the same host.

Phase 1

Install the NetBackup 7.5 Enterprise Client license on the master server,and install NetBackup client 7.5 software on the VMware backup host.

Phase 2

Add the VMware backup host to your NetBackup configuration.

See “Adding the VMware backup host to NetBackup” on page 39.

Phase 3

Set NetBackup access credentials for the VMware vCenter or VirtualCenter(if any), or for VMware ESX servers.

See “Adding NetBackup credentials for VMware” on page 40.

Phase 4

Create a NetBackup policy for VMware.

See “Configuring a VMware policy from the Policies utility” on page 48.

Phase 5

Required tasks: overviewOverview of NetBackup tasks

28

http://pubs.vmware.com/vsp40_i/wwhelp/wwhimpl/js/html/wwhelp.htm#href=welcome/welcome.html

Table 2-2 NetBackup tasks (continued)

TasksSequence

Perform a backup or restore.

See “Backing up virtual machines” on page 115.

See “Restoring individual files” on page 145.

See “Restoring the full VMware virtual machine” on page 128.

Phase 6

Recheck the configuration.

See “NetBackup for VMware best practices” on page 151.

See “NetBackup status codes related to VMware” on page 162.

Phase 7

29Required tasks: overviewOverview of NetBackup tasks

Required tasks: overviewOverview of NetBackup tasks

30

Notes and prerequisites


■ NetBackup for VMware prerequisites

■ NetBackup for VMware: notes and restrictions

■ NetBackup for VMware: notes on Linux virtual machines

■ NetBackup character restrictions for virtual machine display names

■ Notes on the hotadd transport mode

■ Creating a helper virtual machine for hotadd transport

NetBackup for VMware prerequisitesThe following prerequisites apply to NetBackup for VMware:

■ The VMware components including ESX servers and virtual machines mustbe set up before you configure NetBackup.See “Overview of VMware tasks” on page 27.

■ The VMware backup host must run Windows 2003, 2008, or 2008 R2. Thesupported hardware types are the same as for any NetBackup Windows client.For further information on supported guest operating systems and VMwarecomponents and versions, refer to the following Symantec tech note:Support for NetBackup 7.x in virtual environments:http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH127089

■ To use the hotadd transfer type for backup or restore, the VMware backup orrestore host is installed in a virtual machine.For ESX 3.5 and earlier: You must set up a shadow virtual machine that hasthe same name as the backup host but with the (VCB-HELPER) suffix.

See “Creating a helper virtual machine for hotadd transport” on page 37.

3Chapter


See “Notes on the hotadd transport mode” on page 35.

NetBackup for VMware: notes and restrictionsNote the following about NetBackup for VMware:

■ NetBackup for VMware does not work with the VMware NetBackup IntegrationModule (VNIM). Conflicts can occur between NetBackup for VMware policiesand any older script-based policies that use VNIM.See “Notes on troubleshooting NetBackup for VMware” on page 160.

■ NetBackup for VMware does not support the NetBackup Instant Recoveryfeature.

■ NetBackup for VMware cannot back up the data on an independent disk,because an independent disk cannot be captured with a snapshot. The backupsucceeds but the backup image contains no data for the independent disk.To back up the data on an independent disk, install a NetBackup client on thevirtual machine. You can configure NetBackup to back up the virtual machineand any independent disks as if the client was installed on a physical host. Youcan restore the virtual machine and then restore the independent disk as aseparate job.

■ If a Windows virtual machine includes Veritas Storage Foundation volumes,the Enable file recovery from VM backup option is not supported.See “Volume Manager volumes in the virtual machine” on page 69.

■ VMware virtual machine templates are for cloning virtual machines: Theycannot be powered on and used as functioning VMs. As a result, VMware hasimposed the following restrictions on backup and restore of virtual machinetemplates:

■ A virtual machine template cannot be captured in a snapshot. A NetBackupbackup of the template skips the snapshot portion of the job and backs upthe template to the designated storage unit.

■ Block level incremental backup (BLIB) cannot be used when backing up avirtual machine template.

■ A virtual machine template cannot be backed up over a SAN. You mustconfigure the NetBackup policy to use a local network transfer type, suchas nbd. Likewise, the restore of a template must be conducted over a localnetwork.

Note:You can use the Query Builder in the NetBackup policy to create rulesfor automatic selection of virtual machine templates.

Notes and prerequisitesNetBackup for VMware: notes and restrictions

32

■ VMware does not support non-ASCII characters in virtual machine displaynames or in other objects that are associated with the virtual machine.(Examples are annotations, floppy image name, parallel port or serial port filename, and CD-ROM ISO name.) For the complete list of objects that VMwaredoes not support with non-ASCII characters, see the following VMware article:Troubleshooting errors resulting from non-ASCII names (1003866)http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1003866In keeping with VMware’s position, NetBackup does not support non-ASCIIcharacters in display names or in other vSphere objects. Symantec recommendsthat you follow VMware's guidelines in naming vSphere objects.In addition, NetBackup has its own restrictions on characters in display names.See “NetBackup character restrictions for virtual machine display names”on page 35.

Note: If the virtual machine display name contains non-ASCII characters, thebackup may succeed but the restore fails. To restore the virtual machine,configure a restore to an alternate location. On the Recovery Options dialog,change the display name to contain ASCII characters only.

■ Several notes and limitations apply to the automatic selection of virtualmachines for backup (Virtual Machine Intelligent Policy).See “NetBackup requirements for automatic virtual machine selection”on page 77.

■ Several notes and limitations apply to Linux virtual machines.See “NetBackup for VMware: notes on Linux virtual machines” on page 34.

■ For hotadd backup or restore: The virtual machine to back up (or restore) andthe virtual machine that contains the hotadd backup host must reside in thesame VMware datacenter.See “Notes on the hotadd transport mode” on page 35.

■ NetBackup for VMware does not support the Enable file recovery from VMbackup option for the virtual machines that contain encrypted drives. Forbackups of the virtual machines that contain encrypted drives, disable thatoption.

■ Storage optimization cannot be used if a snapshot exists on the virtual machinewhen VMware Changed Block Tracking is turned on.See “Using VMware's Changed Block Tracking for full backups only” on page 112.See “About reducing the size of VMware backups” on page 109.

33Notes and prerequisitesNetBackup for VMware: notes and restrictions

■ If the policy's Primary VM identifier option is set to VM hostname, note:NetBackup cannot select a VMware virtual machine for backup if it cannotobtain an IP address for the virtual machine.

■ See “Restore notes and restrictions” on page 123.

NetBackup for VMware: notes on Linux virtualmachines

The following notes apply to virtual machines with Linux guest operating systems:

■ On Linux virtual machines, NetBackup requires a special utility (SYMCquiesce)to quiesce the file system in preparation for taking the snapshot. WithoutSYMCquiesce, NetBackup cannot guarantee that data in the file system is ina consistent state when the snapshot occurs.See “About the SYMCquiesce utility” on page 179.See “Installing the SYMCquiesce utility” on page 180.For the Linux virtual machines that do not have the SYMCquiesce utility: Toguarantee that the file system is consistent at the time of backup, considerpowering down the virtual machine before the backup. When the virtualmachine is powered down, data buffers are flushed to disk and the file systemis consistent.For a description of file system quiesce, see the NetBackup Snapshot ClientAdministrator's Guide.

■ If the Linux file system was not quiesced before the snapshot, some files maybe inconsistent. Such files can be recovered from the NetBackup.lost+founddirectory.See “About the NetBackup.lost+found directory on Linux” on page 147.

■ Unmounted LVM2 volumes must start with /devIf the path of an unmounted LVM2 volume does not start with /dev, the backupof the virtual machine fails. Note: The path of the volume is set with the "dir"parameter on the LVM volume configuration file. An example of thisconfiguration file is /etc/lvm/lvm.conf.

■ For Linux files or directories, NetBackup for VMware has the same path namerestriction as NetBackup on a Linux physical host. Files or directories withpath names longer than 1023 characters cannot be individually backed up orrestored. Such files can be restored when you restore the entire virtual machinefrom a full virtual machine backup.

■ See “Restore notes and restrictions on Linux” on page 126.

Notes and prerequisitesNetBackup for VMware: notes on Linux virtual machines

34

NetBackup character restrictions for virtualmachinedisplay names

When VMware virtual machines are included in a NetBackup policy, certaincharacters are not allowed in the virtual machine display name. These restrictionsapply only if the policy Primary VM identifier option is set to VMware displayname.

If the display name contains the wrong characters, the backup may fail.

For NetBackup, the following characters are allowed in virtual machine displaynames:

■ Uppercase and lowercase ASCII characters

■ Numbers

■ Period (.)

■ Hyphen (-)

■ Underscore (_)

■ Plus sign (+)

■ Percent sign (% )

■ Left and right parentheses ()

■ Spaces

Note: No other characters are allowed.

See “Primary VM identifier options (VMware)” on page 53.

Notes on the hotadd transport modeNetBackup supports several transport modes for sending snapshot data betweenthe VMware datastore and the VMware backup host during a backup or restore.One of those transport modes (hotadd) is used when the VMware backup host isinstalled in a virtual machine.

Note the following about the hotadd transport mode:

■ For a backup or restore, the hotadd transport mode does not support the vmdkfiles that are larger than 1 TB. If the .vmdk file is larger than 1 TB, the filecannot be mounted.

■ The VMware backup host must be installed in a virtual machine.

35Notes and prerequisitesNetBackup character restrictions for virtual machine display names

■ For ESX versions 3.5 and earlier: You must configure a shadow (helper) virtualmachine before the backup starts. The helper virtual machine must have atleast as many SCSI controllers as exist on the virtual machine that you wantto back up.The helper virtual machine is used internally by the VMware VDDK to attachthe disks temporarily during hotadd backup or restore.

Note:A helper virtual machine is not required for backups of ESX 4.0 (or later)virtual machines. For earlier ESX versions, a helper virtual machine is required.

See “Creating a helper virtual machine for hotadd transport” on page 37.

■ The following is a VMware requirement: The virtual machine to back up andthe virtual machine that contains the hotadd backup host must reside in thesame VMware datacenter. The same VMware requirement applies to virtualmachine restore: The virtual machine to restore and the virtual machine thatcontains the hotadd restore host must reside in the same VMware datacenter.For hotadd backup, Symantec recommends at least one hotadd backup hostfor each datacenter.

■ NetBackup does not support IDE disks on the virtual machine.

■ On the virtual machine to back up, no two disks should have the same name.(Identical names can occur if the disks reside on different datastores.)

■ The ESX server (where the backup-host virtual machine resides) must haveaccess to the datastore of the virtual machines that you want to back up.

■ The datastore for the backup-host virtual machine must have some free spacebefore the hotadd backup begins. Otherwise, the backup may fail.

■ For additional hotadd information, see the following VMware document:VDDK 5.0 Release Notes

■ The Enable file recovery from VM backup option does not work with thehotadd transport mode in the following case: The virtual machine that containsthe backup host is a clone of the virtual machine that is backed up (or viceversa). In this case, a backup that uses the hotadd transfer mode may appearto succeed. However, some of the virtual machine volumes may be incorrectlymapped and cannot be restored.The converse is also true. The virtual machine that you back up with the hotaddtransport mode cannot be a clone of the virtual machine that contains thebackup host. Furthermore, the two virtual machines must not be clones of thesame parent.VMware has identified this issue as software defect SR#1442259141. To usethe hotadd transport mode with your backup, do the following: Make sure the

Notes and prerequisitesNotes on the hotadd transport mode

36

http://www.vmware.com/support/developer/vddk/VDDK-1.2.1-Relnotes.html

virtual machine that contains the VMware backup host and the virtual machineyou back up are not clones of each other.

Creating ahelper virtualmachine for hotadd transportThis procedure applies only to ESX versions 3.5 (and earlier) with use of the hotaddtransport mode.

To create a helper virtual machine for hotadd backup or restore

1 Create a virtual machine.

You do not need to assign any drives to the virtual machine.

2 Give the helper virtual machine the same VMware display name as the virtualmachine where the backup host is installed. Add the (VCB-HELPER) suffix tothe name.

For example, if the virtual machine that contains the backup host is calledbu_host_VM, the name of the helper virtual machine must be the following:

bu_host_VM(VCB-HELPER)

Note that the complete name including the suffix must not exceed 32characters.

3 For more information on helper virtual machines, see the following VMwaredocument:

VMware Virtual Machine Backup Guide (Update 2 and later for ESX Server3.5, ESX Server 3i version 3.5, VirtualCenter 2.5).

37Notes and prerequisitesCreating a helper virtual machine for hotadd transport

Notes and prerequisitesCreating a helper virtual machine for hotadd transport

38

Configure NetBackupaccess to VMware


■ Adding the VMware backup host to NetBackup

■ Adding NetBackup credentials for VMware

■ Changing the host name of a VMware server in NetBackup

■ Setting privileges for posting events to vCenter

■ Setting global limits on the use of VMware resources

Adding the VMware backup host to NetBackupYou must add the VMware backup host to your NetBackup configuration.

Note: This procedure is not required for any backup host that is also a masterserver or media server.

In the NetBackup Administration Console, do the following.

To add the VMware backup host

1 Click Host Properties > Master Servers, double click the NetBackup masterserver, and click VMware Access Hosts.

2 Click Add.

3 Enter the fully qualified domain name of the VMware backup host, and clickAdd.

4Chapter

4 When you are finished adding hosts, click Close.

5 Click Apply and then OK.

Adding NetBackup credentials for VMwareTo back up or restore virtual machines, the NetBackup server requires logoncredentials to the VMware ESX servers or the VMware vCenter servers. In theNetBackup Administration Console, do the following.

To add NetBackup credentials

1 Click Media and Device Management > Credentials > Virtual MachineServers.

2 Click Actions > New > New Virtual Machine Server.

3 On the Add Virtual Machine Server dialog, enter the name of a virtualmachine server (vCenter server or ESX server).

Note: Enter the server name in the same format in which it is registered inDNS and in the VMware server (whether short or fully-qualified).

NetBackup needs access to this server for either of the following reasons:

■ To browse the server's virtual machines and back them up.

■ To use the server as a target for restoring virtual machines.Use the next dialog to identify the type of this server (vCenter, ESX, orESX for restore only).

4 In the Credentials pane of the Virtual Machine Server dialog, enter thefollowing:

Virtual machine server type

Select the type of VMware server that NetBackup needs to access:

■ VMware Virtual Center serverDesignates a vCenter (or VirtualCenter) server that manages ESX servers.When you create a policy to back up this server's virtual machines,NetBackup can browse this server and list its virtual machines. If thecredentials provide full access privileges to the vCenter server, you canrestore virtual machines to this server.Note: Do not enter logon credentials for the individual ESX servers thatthis vCenter server manages. NetBackup needs credentials for the vCenteronly.

Configure NetBackup access to VMwareAdding NetBackup credentials for VMware

40

■ VMware ESX ServerDesignates a standalone ESX server that is not managed by a vCenterserver. NetBackup can browse the ESX server to present a list of its virtualmachines for backup. You can also restore virtual machines to this ESXserver. To use the server as a target for restores, enter the credentialsthat provide full access privileges to the ESX server.

■ VMware Restore ESX ServerDesignates an ESX server to which NetBackup can restore virtual machines.You must enter the credentials that provide full access privileges to theserver.

Note: NetBackup accesses this type of server for restores only, not forbackups.

Note: For restore, VMware vStorage cannot communicate with the ESXservers that are earlier than version 3.5 update 2. To restore the virtualmachines that were backed up with vStorage: The target ESX server mustbe 3.5 update 2 or later or must be managed by a vCenter server 2.5 update1 or later.

The restore ESX server type has the following advantages:

■ For large environments with hundreds of hosts, NetBackup may notneed full access to the vCenter server. With the restore ESX servertype, you can give NetBackup full access to a single ESX server that isdedicated to restore.

■ SAN-based restores that go directly to a restore ESX server are fasterthan restores that go through the vCenter server.

For further information on the restore ESX server, refer to the followingSymantec tech note:http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH128513

User name

Enter the user name for the virtual machine server. Note that spaces in usernames are not allowed.

Password

Enter the password (and confirm it) for the virtual machine server.

You can use the Forbackuphost pull-down to select a particular backup hostfor which to validate the credentials. Note that a backup host appears in thepull-down list if it was added to the master server's Host Properties dialog.

41Configure NetBackup access to VMwareAdding NetBackup credentials for VMware


If For backup host is set to <Any> (the default), NetBackup attempts tovalidate the credentials using each backup host in turn. NetBackup continueschecking only until validation succeeds for a particular backup host or thelist of backup hosts is exhausted.

During validation: An invalid user name or password is deleted if you haveentered it for the first time and you do not select a backup host. If validationfails for any reason, the entry is removed.

If your VMware backup host is running a version of NetBackup that is earlierthan 6.5.4, the credentials cannot be validated. An error message is displayed.You must verify that the credentials you entered are correct for the VMwareserver. If the credentials are correct, you can ignore the error message.

Connect using port number

If the default port number has not been changed on the VMware server, noport specification is required. In that case, make sure that the Connectusingport number box is not checked.

If the VMware server has been configured to use a different port, click theConnect using port number box and specify that port number.

5 Click OK.

6 If your site has multiple standalone ESX servers, use the Virtual MachineServer dialog to enter credentials for each ESX server.

See “Setting global limits on the use of VMware resources” on page 44.

Changing the host name of a VMware server inNetBackup

Use the following procedure if you need to change a VMware server's host nameas it is stored in NetBackup.

Example reasons for changing the VMware server name are the following:

■ You used a short host name for the server for its NetBackup credentials, andneed to replace that name with the fully qualified host name.

■ Two hosts currently resolve to the same IP address, and one of them must berenamed and assigned a new IP address.

To change the host name of a VMware host in NetBackup

1 Remove the current credentials that were entered for the VMware host.

Do the following:

Configure NetBackup access to VMwareChanging the host name of a VMware server in NetBackup

42

■ In the NetBackup Administration Console, click on Media and DeviceManagement > Credentials > Virtual Machine Servers.

■ Right-click on the credentials definition for the VMware server and selectDelete (or press the Delete key).

2 Remove the VMware host from the NetBackup EMM database.

Enter the following command:

nbemmcmd -deletehost -machinename VMware_server_name

-machinetype virtual_machine

3 In the NetBackup Administration Console, re-enter NetBackup's credentialsfor the VMware server.


Make sure to enter the correct host name for the VMware server.


Setting privileges for posting events to vCenterWith the PosteventstovCenter option, NetBackup can send backup related eventsto the vCenter server, to view in vSphere Client.

Note the following requirements:

■ You must enter the credentials that give NetBackup access to the vCenterserver.See “Adding NetBackup credentials for VMware” on page 40.

■ Make sure that the Post events to vCenter option is enabled in the policy.See “VMware - Advanced Attributes dialog” on page 57.

■ You must set the correct role privileges in vCenter, as explained in this topic.

Note: If your vCenter role is configured for all privileges, you can skip thefollowing procedure.

To set privileges for posting events to vCenter

1 Go to the vSphere Client Home page on the vCenter server and click Roles.

2 Right-click on the role for the vCenter user that was entered for the NetBackupcredentials, and click Edit Role.


43Configure NetBackup access to VMwareSetting privileges for posting events to vCenter

3 In the Edit Role screen, place a check mark on the Extension privilege, toinclude all three extension privileges (Register extension, Unregisterextension, Update extension).

4 Click OK.

Setting global limits on the use of VMware resourcesYou can use the NetBackup Resource Limit dialog to control the number ofsimultaneous backups that can be performed on a VMware resource type. Thesettings apply to all NetBackup policies.

For example, to avoid overloading the ESX server, you can place a limit on thenumber of concurrent backup jobs per ESX server. To control I/O overhead on thedatastore's array, you can limit the number of concurrent backups per datastore.

Note: The Resource Limit screen applies only to policies that use automaticselection of virtual machines (Query Builder). If virtual machines are selectedmanually on the Browse for Virtual Machines screen, the Resource Limit settingshave no effect.

Note: To limit the number of simultaneous backups per policy, use the Limit jobsper policy setting on the policy Attributes tab.

Configure NetBackup access to VMwareSetting global limits on the use of VMware resources

44

To set limits on the use of VMware resources

1 In the NetBackup Administration Console, click Host Properties > MasterServers and double click the NetBackup master server.

2 In the Properties screen, scroll down in the left pane and click ResourceLimit.

3 Click in the Resource Limit column to set the maximum NetBackup usagefor the resource type. The settings apply to all policies.

For each resource type, the default is 0, (No Limit). A resource limit of 4 fordatastore means that NetBackup policies can perform no more than foursimultaneous backups on any particular datastore.

Table 4-1 describes the limits:

Table 4-1 Resource types and limits

Resource limitResource type

The maximum number of simultaneous backups per vCenterserver.

vCenter

The maximum number of simultaneous snapshot operations(create or delete) per vCenter.

snapshot

The maximum number of simultaneous backups per VMwarecluster.

Cluster

The maximum number of simultaneous backups per ESXserver.

ESXserver

45Configure NetBackup access to VMwareSetting global limits on the use of VMware resources

Table 4-1 Resource types and limits (continued)

Resource limitResource type

The maximum number of simultaneous backups per vmxdatastore.

See “NetBackup for VMware terminology” on page 22.

VMXDatastore

The maximum number of simultaneous backups per datastore.Datastore

The maximum number of simultaneous backups per datastorefolder.

DatastoreFolder

The maximum number of simultaneous backups per datastoretype.

DatastoreType

The maximum number of simultaneous backups per NFS hostof the vmx datastore.

VMXDatastoreNFSHost

The maximum number of simultaneous backups per NFS hostof the datastore.

DatastoreNFSHost

The maximum number of simultaneous backups per datastorecluster.

DatastoreCluster

Other resource-related considerations may be of interest.

See “NetBackup for VMware best practices” on page 151.

Configure NetBackup access to VMwareSetting global limits on the use of VMware resources

46

Configure NetBackuppolicies for VMware


■ Configuring a VMware policy from the Policy Wizard

■ Configuring a VMware policy from the Policies utility

■ Backup options on the VMware tab

■ Browse for VMware Virtual Machines

■ Limiting the VMware servers that NetBackup searches when browsing forvirtual machines

■ Virtual machine host names and display names must be unique in a masterserver's policies

■ Primary VM identifier option and manual selection of virtual machines

■ About incremental backups of virtual machines

■ Configuring incremental backups

■ Volume Manager volumes in the virtual machine

■ About older NetBackup policies and pre-7.x backup hosts

Configuring a VMware policy from the Policy WizardUse the following procedure.

5Chapter

To create a backup policy by means of the Policy Configuration Wizard

1 In the NetBackup Administration Console (on the NetBackup master server),click on the name of the master server.

2 Click Create a Policy.

3 Under Create a backup policy for, click VMware and Hyper-V.

4 Enter a name for the policy.

5 Click VMware as the virtual machine type.

6 Select the backup host from the VMware backup host drop-down list.

Instead of a particular host, you can select BackupMediaServer. This optionenables the use of one or more Windows media servers as the backup host,for host redundancy and faster backups.

Note: The individual backup hosts (not the media servers) are defined in theAdministration Console in the following location:

HostProperties>Master servers> double-click the master server >MasterServer Properties > VMware Access Hosts.

7 Click Next.

8 Follow the remaining panels in the wizard.

The wizard creates the policy according to your selections.

Configuring a VMware policy from the Policies utilityYou can create a NetBackup policy (full or incremental) to back up the virtualmachine in either of two ways:

■ Use the Policies utility of the NetBackup Administration Console (describedin this topic).

■ Use the Policy Configuration Wizard.See “Configuring a VMware policy from the Policy Wizard ” on page 47.

Configure NetBackup policies for VMwareConfiguring a VMware policy from the Policies utility

48

To configure a policy to back up the virtual machine

1 In the NetBackup Administration Console, click Policies and select Actions> New > New Policy.

2 Select the VMware policy type.

The VMware policy type uses vStorage to perform the backup (not VCB). ForVCB-based backup, select the FlashBackup-Windows policy type. Note thatNetBackup 7.5 supports VCB backup only for NetBackup 7.1 clients and earlier.For more information on FlashBackup-Windows and VCB backup, see theNetBackup 7.1 for VMware Administrator's Guide:

http://www.symantec.com/docs/DOC3663

3 If you are using the Java Administration Console, click Apply.

VMware backup options are available on the VMware tab (described later inthis procedure).

4 Select a policy storage unit or storage unit group.

Storage unit groups are described in the NetBackup Administrator’s Guide,Volume I.

5 In most cases, you can leave the Disable client-sidededuplication option atthe default (unchecked).

The Disable client-side deduplication option is described in the NetBackupAdministrator's Guide, Volume I.

49Configure NetBackup policies for VMwareConfiguring a VMware policy from the Policies utility

http://www.symantec.com/docs/DOC3663

6 Click the VMware tab.

Use this dialog to set VMware-related options.

See “Backup options on the VMware tab” on page 51.

7 Use the Schedules tab to define a schedule (click New).

On the Schedules Attributes tab, you can select Full backup, DifferentialIncremental Backup, or Cumulative Incremental Backup.

Note that incremental backups require one of the following selections on thepolicy VMware tab:

■ Enable file recovery from VM backup, or

■ Enable block-level incremental backup.Enable block-level incremental backup requires an ESX server 4.0 anda virtual machine at vmx-07 or later.The following topic contains additional information.See “About incremental backups of virtual machines” on page 68.

Configure NetBackup policies for VMwareConfiguring a VMware policy from the Policies utility

50

8 Use the Clients tab to select the virtual machines to back up.

You can specify virtual machines in either of two ways:

The Browse for VMware Virtual Machines screen appears.You can type the host name in the Enter the VMwarehostname field, or click Browseandselectvirtualmachine.

Note: The Backup Selections tab is set toALL_LOCAL_DRIVES. Individual drives cannot be specified.

See “Browse for VMware Virtual Machines” on page 61.

Use Select manually,and click New.

With this option, NetBackup can automatically select virtualmachines for backup based on the filtering criteria that youenter. The following topics explain how to specify the criteria:

See “About automatic virtual machine selection forNetBackup for VMware” on page 72.

See “Configuring automatic virtual machine selection”on page 81.

Note: The BackupSelections tab is filled in with the filteringrules from the query. NetBackup uses theALL_LOCAL_DRIVES directive to back up the virtualmachines.

Use Selectautomaticallythrough query

Note: In the NetBackup Java Administration Console, the Install Softwareoption is for installing NetBackup client software on trusting UNIX clients.This option does not apply to virtual machines.

9 When you click Apply or OK on the policy Attributes tab, a validation processchecks the policy and reports any errors. If you click Close, no validation isperformed.

Backup options on the VMware tabIn the Administration Console, the VMware tab appears when you select VMwareas the policy type.

The following options apply to the VMware policy type.

51Configure NetBackup policies for VMwareBackup options on the VMware tab

VMware backup host selectionThe VMware backup host is a NetBackup client that performs backups on behalfof the virtual machines.

Table 5-1 VMware backup host selection

DescriptionOption

This option allows a Windows media server that is selected in the policyto operate as the backup host. (Selection of the media server is determinedby the specified storage unit.) To operate as the backup host, the Windowsmedia server must contain NetBackup client software.

Note: The storage unit that is specified in the policy must be unique toyour Windows media servers. If the storage unit is also available on a UNIXmedia server, the snapshot cannot succeed.

Note: When the Backup Media Server option is selected, NetBackupcannot determine a host to perform policy validation. To validate thepolicy, temporarily select one of the possible media servers as the backuphost (do not select Backup Media Server). When the policy validatessuccessfully, reset the backup host to Backup Media Server.

See “Media servers as backup or discovery hosts” on page 20.

Backup Media Server

Select a particular backup host to perform the backup. (See the note afterthis table.)

backup_host_name

Note: The backup hosts (but not backup media servers) must be identified in theAdministration Console as follows: Go to Host Properties > Master servers >double-click the master server > Master Server Properties > VMware AccessHosts.


Optimizations options (VMware)The following options set the type and scope of the VMware virtual machinebackup.

Configure NetBackup policies for VMwareBackup options on the VMware tab

52

Table 5-2 Optimizations

DescriptionOption

This option allows restore of individual files from the backup. With or without this option,you can restore the entire virtual machine.

You can also use this option for incremental backups: in the policy schedule, selectdifferential incremental backup or cumulative incremental backup.

To perform a VMware backup to a deduplication storage unit, select this option. Thisoption provides the best deduplication rates.

To back up a virtual machine that contains Veritas Storage Foundation Volume Managervolumes, disable this option. Also make sure that the Exclude deleted blocks option isdisabled.

Enable file recoveryfrom VM backup

For block-level backups of the virtual machine. This option reduces the size of the backupimage.

See “Block-level backup (BLIB): full vs incremental” on page 110.

Enable block-levelincremental backup

Reduces the size of the backup image by excluding any unused or deleted blocks withinthe file system on the virtual machine. This option supports the following file systems:Windows NTFS, and Linux ext2, ext3, and ext4.

This option uses proprietary mapping technology to identify vacant sectors (allocatedbut empty) within the file system.

See “About reducing the size of VMware backups” on page 109.

To back up a virtual machine that contains Veritas Storage Foundation Volume Managervolumes, disable this option. Also make sure that the Enable file recovery from VMbackup option is disabled.

Exclude deleted blocks

Reduces the size of the backup image by excluding the data in the guest OS system pagingfile (Windows) or the swap file (Linux).

Note: This option does not exclude the swapping and paging files from the backup: itonly excludes the data in those files. If the files are restored, they are restored as emptyfiles.

Exclude swapping andpaging files

Primary VM identifier options (VMware)This setting specifies the type of name by which NetBackup recognizes virtualmachines when it selects them for backup.


Table 5-3 Primary VM identifier

DescriptionOption

The network host name for the virtual machine. (This option is the default.) NetBackupobtains the host name by means of a reverse lookup on the virtual machine's IPaddress. If no host name can be found, the IP address is used as the host name.

VM hostname

The name of the virtual machine as displayed in the VMware interface. A displayname is assigned to the virtual machine when the virtual machine is created.

When virtual machines are included in a NetBackup policy, restrictions apply to thecharacters that are allowed in the virtual machine display name.

See “NetBackup character restrictions for virtual machine display names” on page 35.

Note: The restrictions also apply to other vSphere objects, such as floppy imagename, parallel port or serial port file name, and CD-ROM ISO name.

Each display name must be unique in your VMware environment.


See “Restoring individual files” on page 145.

VMware display name

The ID assigned to the virtual machine when the virtual machine is created. This IDmay or may not be unique, depending on whether the virtual machine has beenduplicated. This option is included for compatibility with the existing policies thatuse the older VM UUID identifier.

VMware BIOS UUID

The VMware DNS Name of the virtual machine. In vSphere Client, this name appearson the virtual machine's Summary tab.

Note: This name may or may not be associated with the virtual machine’s IP address.VMware Tools obtains this name from the host name that is configured in the virtualmachine. For further information on this name, refer to the documentation for theguest operating system.

VM DNS Name

The globally unique ID assigned to the virtual machine when the virtual machine iscreated. This ID uniquely identifies the virtual machine within a vCenter server. Evenif the virtual machine has been duplicated (such as within a vCloud), only the originalvirtual machine retains this instance ID. (The virtual machine duplicates are assigneddifferent instance UUIDs.)

This option applies only to backup hosts (NetBackup clients) at 7.5 or later. If yourbackup host is 7.5 or later, this option is recommended instead of the VMwareBIOSUUID option.

Note:VM instance UUIDs are not available for standalone ESX 3.5 or ESXi 3.5 serversor for servers that VirtualCenter 2.5 manages.

VM instance UUID


54

Orphaned snapshot handling options (VMware)This option specifies the action that NetBackup takes when a snapshot isdiscovered before NetBackup creates a new snapshot for the virtual machinebackup. After it creates a snapshot, NetBackup usually deletes the snapshot whenthe backup completes. If snapshots are not automatically deleted (whether createdby NetBackup or not), the performance of the virtual machine may eventuallydecline.

Undeleted snapshots can cause restore failures due to lack of disk space. If thevirtual machine was configured on multiple datastores and a leftover snapshotexisted on the virtual machine when it was backed up, note: NetBackup tries torestore all .vmdk files to the snapshot datastore. As a result, the datastore maynot have enough space for the .vmdk files, and the restore fails. (For a successfulrestore, you can restore the virtual machine to an alternate location. Use theStorage Destination dialog in the Virtual Machine Recovery dialogs to select adatastore for the .vmdk files.)

Table 5-4 Orphaned snapshot handling: Options

DescriptionOption

NetBackup ignores any existing virtual machine snapshots (including snapshots previouslycreated by NetBackup) and proceeds with snapshot creation and the backup.

Ignore

If any snapshot exists on the virtual machine, NetBackup aborts the job for that virtual machineonly.

Abort

If a virtual machine snapshot exists that a NetBackup backup previously created: NetBackupremoves the old snapshot, creates an updated snapshot, and proceeds with the virtual machinebackup. (This option is the default.)

Remove NBU

Transport modes options (VMware)The transport modes determine how the snapshot data travels from the VMwaredatastore to the VMware backup host. The appropriate mode depends in part onthe type of network that connects the VMware datastore to the VMware backuphost.

By default, all modes are selected. NetBackup tries each transport mode in order,from top to bottom. It uses the first mode that succeeds for all disks in the virtualmachine.


Table 5-5 Transport Modes

DescriptionMode

For unencrypted transfer over Fibre Channel (SAN) or iSCSI.san

Lets you run the VMware backup host in a virtual machine. This feature requires ESX 3.5 Update2or later.

See “Notes on the hotadd transport mode” on page 35.

For instructions on this transport mode and on installing the backup host in a VMware virtualmachine, refer to your VMware documentation.

hotadd

For unencrypted transfer over a local network that uses the Network Block Device (NBD) driverprotocol. This mode of transfer is usually slower than Fibre Channel.

nbd

For encrypted transfer (SSL) over a local network that uses the Network Block Device (NBD) driverprotocol. This mode of transfer is usually slower than Fibre Channel.

nbdssl

Use these buttons to change the order in which NetBackup tries each selected mode. Highlight amode and click Move Up or Move Down.

For example: assume that all four transport modes are selected, and the order is san, hotadd, nbd,and nbdssl. If one of the virtual disks cannot be accessed using san, the san transport mode is notused for any of the virtual machine’s disks. NetBackup then tries to use the hotadd mode for all thedisks. NetBackup continues to try each mode until it finds one that succeeds for all the disks.

Move Up,Move Down

Application protection options (VMware)To enable file-level recovery of database data that resides in the virtual machine,select from the following options. These options apply to full backups of the virtualmachine; they do not apply to incremental backups.

Table 5-6 Application Protection options

DescriptionDatabase option

This option enables recovery of the Exchange databases or mailbox messages from thevirtual machine backups. If this option is disabled, you can recover the entire virtual machinefrom the backup, but you cannot recover the databases or mailbox messages individually.

To use the Enable Exchange Recovery option, note:

■ The Enable file recovery from VM backup option must be enabled.

■ The Enable block-level incremental backup option must be disabled.

For more information, refer to theNetBackup forMicrosoft ExchangeServerAdministrator'sGuide.

Enable ExchangeRecovery


56

Table 5-6 Application Protection options (continued)

DescriptionDatabase option

For Exchange, this option truncates the transaction logs when the snapshot of the virtualmachine is complete. Truncating the logs frees up disk space in the virtual machine.

Note: To use this option, install the Symantec VSS provider on the virtual machine. Forinstructions on how to install the Symantec VSS provider, refer to the NetBackup forMicrosoft Exchange Server Administrator's Guide.

If you do not select Truncate logs, the logs are not truncated.

Truncate logs

This option enables recovery of individual files from Microsoft SQL data in the virtualmachine backup. If this option is disabled, you can recover the entire virtual machine fromthe backup, but you cannot recover the SQL files individually.

To use the Enable SQL Server Recovery option, note:



For more information, refer to the NetBackup for Microsoft SQL Server Administrator'sGuide.

Enable SQL ServerRecovery

For SQL Server, this option truncates the transaction logs when the backup occurs.Truncating the logs frees up disk space in the virtual machine.

If you do not select Truncate logs, the logs are not truncated.

Truncate logs

This option enables recovery of SharePoint objects from the virtual machine backup. If thisoption is disabled, you can recover the entire virtual machine from the backup, but youcannot recover the SharePoint objects individually.

To use the Enable SharePoint Recovery option, note:



For more information, refer to theNetBackupforMicrosoftSharePointServerAdministrator'sGuide.

Enable SharePointRecovery

VMware - Advanced Attributes dialogThis dialog appears when you click Advanced on the VMware policy tab.

You can use the VMware Advanced Attributes dialog to set the following additionalparameters for VMware backup. In most situations, the best settings are thedefaults.


Table 5-7 VMware Advanced Attributes

DescriptionConfigurationparameter

This option is enabled by default. In the great majority of cases, you should accept the default.

I/O on the virtual machine is quiesced before NetBackup creates the snapshot. Without quiescingfile activity, data consistency in the snapshot cannot be guaranteed. If not consistent, the backedup data may be of little or no value.

If this option is disabled, the snapshot is created without quiescing I/O on the virtual machine.In this case, you must perform your own checks for data consistency in the backup data.

Caution: Symantec does not recommend that you disable quiesce. In most cases, this optionshould be enabled.

Note: To use this option, VMware Tools must be installed on the virtual machine.

Note: To use this option with Linux virtual machines, you must also install the SYMCquiesceutility.

See “Installing the SYMCquiesce utility” on page 180.

Virtual machinequiesce

Determines the kind of disks on the virtual machine that are included in the backup. This optioncan reduce the size of the backup, but should be used with care. These options are intendedonly for the virtual machines that have multiple virtual disks.

The following options are available:

■ Include all disksBacks up all virtual disks that are configured for the virtual machine.

■ Exclude boot diskThe virtual machine's boot disk (for example the C drive) is not included in the backup. Anyother disks (such as D) are backed up. Consider this option if you have another means ofrecreating the boot disk, such as a virtual machine template for boot drives.

See “About the Exclude disk options for Virtual disk selection” on page 60.

Note: A virtual machine that is restored from this backup cannot start up. Data files areavailable in the restored data disks.

■ Exclude data disksThe virtual machine's data disks (for example the D drive) are not included in the backupfor this policy. Only the boot disk is backed up. Consider this option only if you have adifferent policy that backs up the data disks.

See “About the Exclude disk options for Virtual disk selection” on page 60.

Virtual diskselection


58

Table 5-7 VMware Advanced Attributes (continued)

DescriptionConfigurationparameter

This option directs NetBackup not to back up any virtual machine that has no vmdk file assignedto it.

Note that virtual machines without vmdk files can occur in a VMware vCenter Site RecoveryManager (SRM) environment. In an SRM environment, a replicated virtual machine in passivemode may have no vmdk file. If NetBackup attempts to back up a replicated virtual machinethat has no vmdk file, the backup fails (status 156). This error indicates that the virtual machineis in an unusual state and backup is impossible.

Ignore disklessVMs

Enables NetBackup to send backup related events to the vCenter server. The events appear invSphere Client under Home > Inventory > Hosts and Clusters, Tasks & Events tab. Moreinformation is available on how to view the events:

Note: To post events to vCenter, NetBackup must perform the backup through a vCenter server.If NetBackup accesses the ESX server directly, the backup information cannot be displayed invSphere Client.

See “Viewing NetBackup activity in vSphere Client” on page 119.

You must set the required permissions in vCenter:

See “Setting privileges for posting events to vCenter” on page 43.

This option also records the date and time of the last successful backup of the virtual machine.The date and time appear in vSphere Client on the Summary tab as a custom attribute underAnnotations. The attribute is labeled NB_LAST_BACKUP.

For Post events to vCenter, the following options are available:

■ All Events

NetBackup posts an event to vCenter server on each backup success or failure. This settingis the default.

■ No Events

Disables the Post events to vCenter option. NetBackup does not post any events to thevCenter server.

■ Error Events

NetBackup posts an event to the vCenter server only for backup failures.

Note: If a vSphere administrator created an attribute named NB_LAST_BACKUP of type Global,NetBackup cannot post backup events to that attribute. You must remove the NB_LAST_BACKUPattribute from vSphere. Make sure that Post events to vCenter is set to All Events or ErrorEvents. At the next backup, NetBackup creates a NB_LAST_BACKUP attribute of type VirtualMachine and posts events to that attribute.

Post events tovCenter


About the Exclude disk options for Virtual disk selectionThe VMware - Advanced Attributes dialog has an option called Virtual diskselection. The default setting is Include all disks. You should use this setting inmost cases.

The other options are Exclude boot disk and Exclude data disks. These optionsare intended for the virtual machines that have multiple virtual disks. You shoulduse these options with care.

To exclude a boot disk or data disk, note the following requirements:

■ The virtual machine must have more than one disk.

■ NetBackup must be able to identify the boot disk.

■ The boot disk must not be part of a managed volume (Windows LDM or LinuxLVM). The boot disk must be fully contained on a single disk.

The boot disk must include the following:

■ The boot partition.

■ The system directory (Windows system directory or Linux boot directory).

■ The full swap file (Windows pagefile.sys or Linux swap partition).

Important! The exclude disk options are meant only for the following cases:

■ Excludebootdisk: Consider this option if you have another means of recreatingthe boot disk, such as a virtual machine template for boot drives. If Excludeboot disk is enabled, the policy does not back up the boot disk.

Note: When the virtual machine is restored from the backup, the virtualmachine data for the boot disk may be missing or incomplete.

Note the following about Exclude boot disk:

■ If the virtual machine has a boot disk but has no other disks, the boot diskis backed up. It is not excluded.

■ If the virtual machine's boot disk is an independent disk, but the virtualmachine has no other disks, the boot drive is backed up. The restored bootdrive however contains no data, because NetBackup cannot back up thedata in an independent disk.

■ If the virtual machine has a boot drive and an independent drive, the bootdrive is not backed up. Only the independent drive is included in the backup.Since NetBackup cannot back up the data in an independent disk, therestored independent disk contains no data. Refer to the explanation onindependent disks in the following topic:


60


■ Adding a virtual disk and changing this option before the next backup canhave unexpected results.See “Virtual disk selection options: examples to avoid” on page 61.

■ Excludedatadisks: Consider this option if you have a different policy or otherbackup program that backs up the data disks. If Excludedatadisks is enabledin a policy, that policy does not back up the data disks.

Note the following about Exclude data disks:

■ If the virtual machine has only one disk, such as C, the C drive is backedup. It is not excluded.

■ If the virtual machine's boot disk is an independent disk, and the virtualmachine has a separate data disk, the boot disk is backed up. The restoredboot disk however contains no data, because NetBackup cannot back upthe data in an independent disk.

Caution: Use of the exclude disk options can have unintended consequences ifthese rules are not followed.

The following topic contains important guidance on the exclude disk options:

See “Virtual disk selection options: examples to avoid” on page 61.

Virtual disk selection options: examples to avoidYou should use the Virtual disk selection option with care. For example, if youadd a disk to the virtual machine and change the Virtual disk selection setting,note: The next backup may not capture the virtual machine in the state that youintended. You should back up the entire virtual machine (Includealldisks) beforeusing Virtual disk selection to exclude a disk from future backups.

Note:When you change an exclude disk option to disabled, do a full backup (Virtualdiskselection set to Includealldisks) before the next incremental or differentialbackup.

Browse for VMware Virtual MachinesWhen you configure a NetBackup policy, you can use the Browse for VirtualMachines screen to select virtual machines for backup. You can enter the virtualmachine's host name manually or browse and select it from a list.

61Configure NetBackup policies for VMwareBrowse for VMware Virtual Machines

As an alternative, NetBackup can automatically select virtual machines based ona range of criteria.

See “About automatic virtual machine selection for NetBackup for VMware”on page 72.

■ Enter the VM hostnameClick this option if you want to manually enter the name of a virtual machine.The format of the name depends on your system. It may be the fully qualifiedname or another name, depending on your network configuration and howthe name is defined in the guest OS. If NetBackup cannot find the name youenter, policy validation fails.To enter a host name, make sure that Browse and select Virtual Machine isnot selected.

■ Browse and select Virtual MachineClick this option to discover vCenter servers, clusters, datacenters, vApps, andESX servers (shown in the left pane). You can select virtual machines from alist (in the right pane).NetBackup uses the following icons for vSphere objects:

vCenter server

Datacenter

Cluster

Configure NetBackup policies for VMwareBrowse for VMware Virtual Machines

62

vApp

ESX server

Virtual machine

The virtual machines that are contained in a VMware vApp are displayed inthe right pane along with other virtual machines.The virtual machine names that are listed may be derived from a cache file.Use of the cache file is faster than rediscovering the virtual machines on thenetwork if your site has a large number of virtual machines.If NetBackup cannot obtain the IP address of the virtual machine, the hostname and IP address are displayed as NONE.Note that virtual machine host names or display names must be unique withina master server's policies:See “Virtual machine host names and display names must be unique in a masterserver's policies” on page 66.

■ Last UpdateTo update the cache file and re-display virtual machines, click the refresh iconto the right of the Last Update field. This field shows the date and time of themost recent cache file that contains the names of virtual machines.

For NetBackup to access the virtual machines, note the following:

■ The NetBackup master server must have credentials for the VMware vCenteror ESX server(s).See “Adding NetBackup credentials for VMware” on page 40.

■ DNS problems may prevent or slow down discovery of the virtual machines.See “Preventing browsing delays caused by DNS problems” on page 158.

■ To limit the search to particular vCenter or ESX servers, you can create aBACKUP registry entry as an exclude list. Excluding unneeded servers candramatically speed up the search for virtual machines.See “Limiting the VMware servers that NetBackup searches when browsingfor virtual machines” on page 65.

■ The browsing timeout value must not be set too low.See “Changing the browsing timeout for virtual machine discovery”on page 159.

63Configure NetBackup policies for VMwareBrowse for VMware Virtual Machines

■ VM Host Name, Display Name, UUID, etc.When you select an ESX server in the left pane, information about its virtualmachines appears in columns in the right pane. You can change the settingsand arrangement of these columns by right-clicking on any of the columnheaders.The columns are the following:

The host name of the virtual machine.VM Host Name

The display name of the virtual machine.Display Name

The UUID of the virtual machine.UUID

The VMware "DNS Name" of the virtual machine. InvSphere Client, this name appears on the virtual machine'sSummary tab.


VM DNS Name

The IP address of the virtual machine.IP Address

The guest OS system as defined when the virtual machinewas created.

OS

The datastore where the virtual machine configurationfiles are stored. If the datastore is in a datastore cluster,NetBackup displays the name of the datastore (not thename of the cluster).

Data Store

The power on/off status of the virtual machine when itwas last discovered.

Power

Shows whether the virtual machine has a physical disk inraw device mapping mode (RDM) or has an independentdrive.

RDM Status

The VMware release version of the virtual machine(vmx-04, vmx-07, or vmx-08).

Platform

The time and date at which the virtual machine's UUIDwas initially discovered and cached.

Discovered Timestamp

Shows whether the virtual machine supports the VMwareChanged Block Tracking feature (for BLIB). Changed BlockTracking requires ESX server 4.0 and a virtual machineat vmx-07 or later.

Change Tracking Support

The ESX server in which the virtual machine resides (alsoappears in the left pane).

ESX Host

Configure NetBackup policies for VMwareBrowse for VMware Virtual Machines

64

The datacenter that contains the virtual machine (alsoappears in the left pane).

Data Center

The vCenter server that manages the ESX server (alsoappears in the left pane).

Virtual Center Name

The virtual machines you selected are listed in the Clients tab.

Limiting theVMware servers thatNetBackupsearcheswhen browsing for virtual machines

As part of creating a NetBackup policy, you must specify which virtual machinesto back up. One approach is to let NetBackup search the network and list allavailable virtual machines. However, if your VMware environment contains manyVMware servers and virtual machines, it may take too long to search and list allof them. For example, consider an environment with 10 vCenter servers. To backup the virtual machines on one of the 10 vCenter servers, browsing virtualmachines on all 10 servers is unnecessary.

To speed up browsing, you can exclude particular VMware servers from the search.When it probes the network for virtual machines, NetBackup queries only theVMware servers that are not named in the exclude list for the backup-host.

To limit the VMware servers that NetBackup discovers, per backup host

1 On the Windows desktop of the backup host, click Start > Run and enterregedit.

2 To be on the safe side, make a backup of the current registry (File > Export).

3 Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Veritas > NetBackup >CurrentVersion > Config and create a key called BACKUP.

4 Right-click in the right pane and click New > String Value. EnterexcludeVMservers as the name.

65Configure NetBackup policies for VMwareLimiting the VMware servers that NetBackup searches when browsing for virtual machines

5 Right-click the excludeVMservers name and click Modify.

6 In the EditString dialog, enter a comma-delimited list of the VMware serversthat are NOT to be queried when NetBackup browses the network. Do notenter spaces. You can enter vCenter servers and individual ESX servers.

Note: The exclude list is used on the next backup. If any bpfis processes arerunning, the exclude list has no effect on them.

The exclude list applies only to this backup host. The servers are not queriedwhen NetBackup browses for virtual machines to list on the policy's Browsefor Virtual Machines dialog of the NetBackup Administration Console.

As an alternative, NetBackup can automatically select virtual machines based ona range of criteria.


Virtual machine host names and display namesmustbe unique in a master server's policies

Certain VMware environments do not require unique names for virtual machines.For instance, virtual machines within a vCenter server can have the same host ordisplay names as virtual machines in another vCenter server. The same is true ofdatacenters, which are logical groupings of virtual resources within a vCenterserver. Virtual machine host names or display names must be unique within adatacenter, but need not be unique between two datacenters on the same vCenter.A virtual machine named VM1 can exist in datacenter A. Another virtual machine(also named VM1) can exist in datacenter B, on the same vCenter server.

Configure NetBackup policies for VMwareVirtual machine host names and display names must be unique in a master server's policies

66

Identically named virtual machines however present a problem in the followingcase: the same NetBackup master server is configured to back up the virtualmachines by means of the same host name or display name. The virtual machinesthat are backed up by a particular NetBackup master server must be uniquelyidentified across all of its policies.

To back up the two virtual machines named VM1, do one of the following:

■ Change their VMware names so they are unique in the master server's policies.

■ Configure the policies to identify the virtual machines by their UUIDs. Usethe type of UUID that is appropriate for your virtual machine environment.See “Primary VM identifier options (VMware)” on page 53.

Primary VM identifier option and manual selectionof virtual machines

This topic applies to the manual selection of virtual machines on the NetBackupBrowse for VMware Virtual Machines screen.

A change to the policy's Primary VM identifier value can affect backups. If youchange this option, you may have to delete the virtual machine selections on theClients tab and re-enter them. Otherwise, NetBackup may no longer be able toidentify the virtual machines to back up.

For example, the host names in the Clients tab cannot be used and the virtualmachines are not backed up in the following case:

■ If you change the Primary VM identifier from VM hostname to VM displayname, and

■ The display names of the virtual machines are different from the host names.

In this case, delete the host name entries on the Clients tab and browse the networkto select the virtual machines by display name.


Note: When creating virtual machines, use the same name for both host nameand display name. If the Primary VM identifier is changed, the existing entrieson the Clients tab still work.

If the policy selects virtual machines automatically, refer to the following topic:

See “Effect of Primary VM identifier parameter on Selection column in Test Queryresults” on page 104.

67Configure NetBackup policies for VMwarePrimary VM identifier option and manual selection of virtual machines

About incremental backups of virtual machinesNetBackup enables full virtual machine and file-level incrementals in the samebackup (the Enable file recovery from VM backup option).

Better support for incremental backup is available when you use vStorage andBLIB (Enableblock-level incrementalbackup). BLIB requires ESX 4.x and virtualmachines at vmx-07 or later.

Note: Individual file recovery is supported from full backups and from incrementalbackups, as long as the Enable file recovery from VM backup policy option isenabled.

Note: In earlier releases of NetBackup for VMware, incremental backups had tobe based on timestamps, not on archive bit. This requirement has been removedfrom NetBackup 7.5. For incremental backups, you do not have to configure theclient on the VMware backup host for timestamps .

Configuring incremental backupsUse the following procedure for virtual machine backup.

To configure incremental backup of a virtual machine (vStorage)

1 In the NetBackup policy Attributes tab, select the VMware policy type.

2 On the VMware tab, select the VMware backup host.

3 Optional: for BLIB, select Enable block-level incremental backup.

4 Select Enable file recovery from VM backup.

More information is available on the VMware options.


5 Click OK.

6 On the Schedules tab, select DifferentialIncrementalBackup or CumulativeIncremental Backup.

7 Fill in the Clients tab.

Configure NetBackup policies for VMwareAbout incremental backups of virtual machines

68

Volume Manager volumes in the virtual machineTo back up a virtual machine that contains Veritas Storage Foundation VolumeManager volumes, make sure the following options on the policy's VMware tabare disabled:

Enable file recovery from VM backup

Exclude deleted blocks.

Note: Restore of selected files from a backup of the full virtual machine is notsupported if the virtual machine contains Storage Foundation Volume Managervolumes.


About older NetBackup policies and pre-7.x backuphosts

A NetBackup 7.x master server can use the policies that were created for NetBackup6.5.x. NetBackup however does not convert the 6.5.x options to 7.x options. It usesthe policies as is, without modification or conversion.

Even if the policies are updated to the 7.x options, a 6.5.x backup host ignoresthose options. The backup host must be updated to 7.x to recognize and use the7.x policy options.

69Configure NetBackup policies for VMwareVolume Manager volumes in the virtual machine

Configure NetBackup policies for VMwareAbout older NetBackup policies and pre-7.x backup hosts

70

Configure automaticselection of virtualmachines for backup


■ About automatic virtual machine selection for NetBackup for VMware

■ The basics of a NetBackup query rule

■ Important notes on automatic virtual machine selection

■ NetBackup requirements for automatic virtual machine selection

■ Automatic virtual machine selection: Task overview

■ Options for selecting VMware virtual machines

■ Configuring automatic virtual machine selection

■ Editing an existing query in Basic Mode

■ Using the Query Builder in Advanced Mode

■ AND vs OR in queries

■ Examples for the NetBackup Query Builder

■ The IsSet operator in queries

■ Multiple VMware policies that work together

■ Order of operations in queries (precedence rules)

■ Parentheses in compound queries

6Chapter

■ Query rules for resource pools

■ Query rules for datacenter folders (HostFolder)

■ Query Builder field reference

■ Test Query screen

■ Test Query: Failed virtual machines

■ Effect of Primary VM identifier parameter on Selection column in Test Queryresults

■ Effect of Primary VM identifier parameter on VM Name column in Test queryresults

About automatic virtual machine selection forNetBackup for VMware

Instead of manually selecting the virtual machines for backup, you can configureNetBackup to automatically select virtual machines based on a range of criteria.You specify the criteria (rules) in the Query Builder on the NetBackup policyClients tab. NetBackup creates a list of the virtual machines that currently meetthe rules and adds those virtual machines to the backup.

This feature is called the Virtual Machine Intelligent Policy.

Automatic selection of virtual machines has the following advantages:

■ Simplifies the policy configuration for sites with large virtual environments.You do not need to manually select virtual machines from a long list of hosts:NetBackup selects all the virtual machines that meet the selection rules in thepolicy's Query Builder.

■ Allows the backup list to stay up-to-date with changes in the virtualenvironment.Eliminates the need to revise the backup list whenever a virtual machine isadded or removed.

■ Virtual machine selection takes place dynamically at the time of the backup.

Examples of automatic virtual machine selection are the following:

Configure automatic selection of virtual machines for backupAbout automatic virtual machine selection for NetBackup for VMware

72

Table 6-1 Examples for automatic virtual machine selection

DescriptionExample

At the next backup, the policy can automaticallydiscover the virtual machines that have recentlybeen added to the environment. If the virtualmachines match the query rules that youconfigure in the policy, they are automaticallybacked up.

Add new virtual machines

If some of your virtual machines are occasionallypowered off, NetBackup can be configured toautomatically exclude those from the backup list.Among the virtual machines it discovers,NetBackup backs up only the virtual machinesthat are powered on.

Limit the backup list to the virtualmachines that are currently poweredon

Examples of physical boundaries are vCenterservers, ESX servers, datastores, and clusters. Forexample, a query rule can select all the virtualmachines in a particular ESX server, so the policybacks up only those virtual machines.

Back up virtual machines based onphysical boundaries

Examples of logical boundaries are folders, vApps,templates, and resource pools. For example, aquery rule can select all the virtual machines ina particular folder, so the policy backs up onlythose virtual machines.

Back up virtual machines based onlogical boundaries

The basics of a NetBackup query ruleFor automatic virtual machine selection, NetBackup uses query rules to determinewhich VMware virtual machines to select for backup. You create the rules in theQuery Builder, on the Clients tab of the policy.

A query rule consists of the following:

■ A keyword, such as Displayname or Datacenter (many keywords are available).For example: For automatic selection of the virtual machines with the displaynames that contain certain characters, you need the Displayname keywordin the rule.

■ An operator, such as Contains, StartsWith, or Equal.The operator describes how NetBackup analyzes the keyword. For example:Displayname StartsWith tells NetBackup to look for the display names thatstart with particular characters.

73Configure automatic selection of virtual machines for backupThe basics of a NetBackup query rule

■ Values for the keyword.For the Displayname keyword, a value might be "prod". In that case, NetBackuplooks for the virtual machines that have the display names that include thecharacters prod.

■ An optional joining element (AND, AND NOT, OR, OR NOT) to refine or expandthe query.

The policy uses these elements to discover and select virtual machines for backup.

Table 6-2 contains examples of rules.

Table 6-2 Examples of rules

DescriptionRule

NetBackup selects the virtual machines that have thecharacters vm anywhere in their display names.

Displayname Contains "vm"

NetBackup selects the virtual machines that have thecharacters vm at the end of their display names.

Displayname EndsWith "vm"

NetBackup selects the virtual machines that usedatacenter1 or datacenter2.

Datacenter AnyOf"datacenter1","datacenter2"

NetBackup selects only the virtual machines that arecurrently powered on.

Powerstate Equal poweredOn

Important notes on automatic virtual machineselection

The Virtual Machine Intelligent Policy feature in NetBackup is a different approachto VMware virtual machine selection in the policy. It represents a paradigm shiftin the way you select virtual machines for backup. As with all major changes, theeffective use of this feature requires forethought, preparation, and care.

Configure automatic selection of virtual machines for backupImportant notes on automatic virtual machine selection

74

Table 6-3 Important notes on automatic virtual machine selection!

ExplanationNote!

Instead of manually selecting virtual machines for backup, you create guidelines forautomatic selection of virtual machines. The guidelines are called rules; you enterthe rules in the policy's query builder.

You make the rules, and NetBackup follows them.

If the rules state: Back up all virtual machines with a host name that contains "prod",NetBackup does that. Any virtual machine that is added to the environment with ahost name containing "prod" is automatically selected and backed up when the policyruns. Virtual machines with the names that do not contain "prod" are not backed up.To have other virtual machines automatically backed up, you must change the queryrules (or create additional policies).

Create rules carefully....

If many virtual machines are temporarily added to your environment and happen tofall within the scope of the query rules, they are backed up. The backups can thereforerun much longer than expected.

Changes to the virtualenvironment can affectbackup times.

Test the query rules ahead of time. The policy includes a Test Query function for thatpurpose. It's important to verify that your query operates as expected. Otherwise,the query may inadvertently select too many or too few virtual machines.

As an alternative, you can use the nbdiscover command to test a query. Refer tothe NetBackup Commands Reference Guide.

Note also: The policy's Primary VM identifier parameter can affect the automaticselection process.


Test the query rules.

75Configure automatic selection of virtual machines for backupImportant notes on automatic virtual machine selection

Table 6-3 Important notes on automatic virtual machine selection! (continued)

ExplanationNote!

The automatic selection process is dynamic. Changes in the virtual environment mayaffect which virtual machines the query rules choose when the backup runs.

Note: If virtual machine changes occur, the virtual machines that are selected forbackup may not be identical to those listed in your query test results.

A query test does not createthe backup list. NetBackupcreates the backup list whenthe backup runs.

Backuplist

Backuplist

Query test

Backupexecution

If you select virtual machines manually (with the Browse for Virtual machines screen),the selected virtual machines are listed on the policy Clients tab. But when you usethe query builder for automatic selection, the selected virtual machines are not listedon the Clients tab.

For a list of the virtual machines that were backed up, use the NetBackup ActivityMonitor or the OpsCenter web interface.

See “Using the Activity Monitor to monitor virtual machine backups” on page 117.

See “Using OpsCenter to report on virtual machine backups” on page 122.

The policy does not display alist of the virtual machinesthat are to be backed up.

Use the Activity Monitor orOpsCenter.

Configure automatic selection of virtual machines for backupImportant notes on automatic virtual machine selection

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Table 6-3 Important notes on automatic virtual machine selection! (continued)

ExplanationNote!

When you save a policy, policy validation does not consult the query rules and selectvirtual machines for backup. Because of the potential for changes in the virtualenvironment, virtual machine selection must wait until the backup runs. As a result,when you save the policy, NetBackup does not check the policy attributes against abackup list. If the query rules select the virtual machines that are incompatible witha policy attribute, policy validation cannot flag that fact. The incompatibility becomesapparent when NetBackup determines the backup list at the time of the backup.

Take for example a policy that is configured for Enable block-level incrementalbackup (BLIB). BLIB works only with ESX 4.0 virtual machines at version vmx-07 orlater. If the query rules select a virtual machine at a version earlier than vmx-07, thepolicy cannot back up that virtual machine. The mismatch between the policy andthe virtual machine is revealed when the backup runs, not when the policy is validated.The Activity Monitor's job details log indicates which virtual machines can or cannotbe backed up.

When you save the policy,the query rules are notvalidated.

Policy

NetBackup requirements for automatic virtualmachine selection

Note the following requirements for automatic selection of VMware virtualmachines:

■ vStorage is required for automatic discovery of virtual machines.

■ Automatic virtual machine selection requires no additional license beyond theNetBackup Enterprise Client license.

■ Refer to the following Symantec document for updates on NetBackup supportrequirements:Support for NetBackup 7.x in virtual environmentshttp://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH127089

Automatic virtual machine selection: Task overviewThis topic is a high-level overview of how to set up a NetBackup policy forautomatic selection of VMware virtual machines. Follow the links in the table formore details.

77Configure automatic selection of virtual machines for backupNetBackup requirements for automatic virtual machine selection


Table 6-4 Automatic selection of virtual machines: overview of the tasks

Description and notesSteps to configure automaticselection

Use the policy Attributes tab.


Configure a VMware policy

On the policy Clients tab, click Select automatically through query.

Choose a host for virtual machine selection (default is the VMware backuphost).

To add rules, use the Query Builder drop-down fields.

See “Configuring automatic virtual machine selection” on page 81.

See “ Options for selecting VMware virtual machines” on page 78.

Set rules for virtual machineselection in the policy Query Builder

Click Test Query in the Query Builder on the Clients tab. Virtual machinesare labeled as included or excluded, based on the rules.

Note: The list of virtual machines is not saved in the Clients tab.

Note: The query rules are also displayed in the Backup Selections tab. Thebackup selections are pre-set to All_LOCAL_DRIVES (not displayed).

As an alternative, you can use the nbdiscover command to test a query.Refer to the NetBackup Commands Reference Guide.

Test the rules

When the policy executes, NetBackup consults the rules in the Query Builder,creates a list of virtual machines, and backs them up.

Execute a backup

To see which virtual machines were backed up, use the Activity Monitor, orrun a Virtual Client Summary report in OpsCenter.

See “Using the Activity Monitor to monitor virtual machine backups”on page 117.


Check the backup

Options for selecting VMware virtual machinesThis topic describes the options on the policy Clients tab or on the AutomaticDiscovery Options panel of the Policy Wizard.

You can use these options to manually select virtual machines, or to configureNetBackup to select virtual machines automatically. For automatic selection, youspecify the selection criteria (rules) in the policy's Query Builder. When the backupjob runs, NetBackup discovers the virtual machines that currently meet the criteriaand backs up those virtual machines.

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A procedure is available.


Table 6-5 Virtual machine selection (not available on theAutomatic DiscoveryOptions wizard panel)

DescriptionOption

Click this option and click New to manually enter virtual machines names, or to browseand select them from a list.


Note: The rest of the fields and options are for automatic selection of virtual machines.

Select manually

Click this option to allow NetBackup to automatically select virtual machines for backupbased on the rules that you enter in the Query Builder.

Select automaticallythrough query

This host discovers virtual machines and automatically selects them for backup based onyour query rules. The resulting list determines which virtual machines are backed up.

To designate your media servers as discovery hosts, select BackupMedia Server from thepull-down.

NetBackup host toperform automaticvirtual machineselection

Table 6-6 Query Builder

DescriptionOption

Use these pull-down fields to define rules for automatic selection of virtual machines. Fromleft to right, each pull-down refines the rule.

Click the plus sign to add the rule to the Query pane.

Click the reset icon (curved arrow) to blank out the pull-down fields.

See “Query Builder field reference” on page 94.

See “Examples for the NetBackup Query Builder” on page 86.

Query Builder (Join,Field, Operator,Values)

Places the Query Builder in Advanced Mode for manual entry of rules.

See “Using the Query Builder in Advanced Mode” on page 84.



Advanced

Returns the Query Builder from Advanced Mode to Basic Mode.


Basic

79Configure automatic selection of virtual machines for backupOptions for selecting VMware virtual machines

Table 6-6 Query Builder (continued)

DescriptionOption

Use this option to change an existing query rule when in Basic Mode, as follows:

■ Click the rule and then click Edit.

■ Make new selections in the Query Builder pull-down fields.

■ Click the save option (diskette icon).

Edit

Deletes a query rule when in Basic Mode. Click on the rule and then click Remove.Remove

Click this option to test which virtual machines NetBackup selects based on the rules inthe Query Builder.

Note: This test option does not create the backup list for the policy. When the next backupruns from this policy, NetBackup re-discovers virtual machines and consults the queryrules. At that time, NetBackup backs up the virtual machines that match the rules.

See “Test Query screen” on page 101.

As an alternative, you can use the nbdiscover command to test a query. Refer to theNetBackup Commands Reference Guide.

Test Query

Sets the refresh rate of an internal cache of the query results. NetBackup uses the cacheto determine which virtual machines to select at the time of the backup. The cache speedsup the selection of virtual machines without burdening the vCenter server at each scheduledbackup.

A faster cache refresh rate synchronizes the cache with the changes recorded in vCenter,such as the addition or removal of virtual machines. However, each cache refresh consumesvCenter resources.

With a slower refresh rate, new virtual machines may not be included immediately in thenext backup. New or changed virtual machines are included when the cache is refreshed.Note that fewer vCenter resources are consumed with a slower refresh rate.

The default is eight hours. For eight hours, NetBackup uses the cache and does not attemptto rediscover virtual machines. Changes to the virtual environment do not affect the cacheduring that period. After eight hours, the next execution of the policy causes NetBackupto rediscover virtual machines. If any changes match a rule in the query, the list of selectedvirtual machines is modified accordingly.

Note: The cache is refreshed before the next scheduled backup whenever the policy ischanged and saved.

More information is available on the Reuse VM selection query results for: option:

See “About the Reuse VM selection query results option” on page 171.

Reuse VM selectionquery results for:

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Configuring automatic virtual machine selectionNetBackup can automatically select VMware virtual machines for backup basedon the criteria that you enter. You specify the criteria (rules) in the Query Builderon the NetBackup policy Clients tab. You can set up rules to include certain virtualmachines for backup, or to exclude virtual machines.

When the backup job runs, NetBackup creates a list of the virtual machines thatcurrently meet the query rules and backs them up.

The following is an initial view of the policy Clients tab with Selectautomaticallythrough query selected.

Figure 6-1 Policy Clients tab for automatic selection of virtual machines

The Query Builder can operate in Basic Mode or in Advanced Mode.

To configure automatic virtual machine selection in Basic Mode

1 On the policy Attributes tab, specify the following:

■ VMware for the policy type.

81Configure automatic selection of virtual machines for backupConfiguring automatic virtual machine selection

■ On the VMware policy tab, select a VMware backup host.

2 Review the other options on the VMware tab.


3 Make other policy selections as needed (for example, create a Schedule).

4 Click the Clients tab, and click Select automatically through query.

If you selected virtual machines in the Browse for Virtual Machines dialog,those virtual machines are removed from the policy.

5 To create a rule, make selections from the pull-down menus.

For the first rule, you can start with the Field pull-down, depending on thetype of rule. (For the first rule, the only selections available for the Join fieldare blank (none), or NOT.)

For the Value(s) field: you can click the folder icon to browse for values, enterthe value manually, or in some cases use the Value(s) drop-down. Thecharacters you enter in the Values field must be enclosed in single quotes ordouble quotes. Note that browsing for values may take some time in largevirtual environments.


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6 Click the plus sign to add the rule to the Query pane.

7 Create more rules as needed.



8 To see which virtual machines NetBackup currently selects based on yourquery, click Test Query.

On the Test Query screen, the Virtual machines in your current environmentthat match the rules for selection in the policy are labeled INCLUDED. Notehowever that the Test Query option does not create the backup list for thepolicy. When the next backup runs from this policy, NetBackup re-discoversvirtual machines and consults the query rules. At that time, NetBackup backsup the virtual machines that match the query rules.

The list of virtual machines is saved but the virtual machines are not displayedin the policy's Clients tab.

See “Test Query screen” on page 101.

9 You can specify how long NetBackup uses the latest query results as thebackup list for future executions of the policy. Set the time period in ReuseVM selection query results for.

The default is eight hours.

More information is available on this setting:

See “About the Reuse VM selection query results option” on page 171.

10 To create queries manually (Advanced Mode) instead of using the pull-downmenus, click Advanced.


83Configure automatic selection of virtual machines for backupConfiguring automatic virtual machine selection

Editing an existing query in Basic ModeTo edit an existing query in Basic Mode

1 Click on the query rule you want to change and click Edit.

2 Make selections in the pull-down menus.

3 Click the save option (diskette icon).

4 To delete a rule, click on it and click Remove.


Using the Query Builder in Advanced ModeThe Query Builder's Advanced Mode provides more flexibility in crafting rulesfor virtual machine selection, including the use of parentheses for grouping.

To use the Query Builder in Advanced Mode

1 Set up a VMware policy and specify a VMware backup host or backup mediaserver.

For assistance, you can refer to the first few steps of the following procedure:


2 Click the Clients tab.

3 Click Select automatically through query.

4 Beneath the Query Builder pane, click Advanced.

Note that the following appears at the start of the query:

vmware:/?filter=

This string must be the first entry in the query. It should appear only once,no matter how many rules are added in the Query pane.

5 You can use the Query Builder drop-down menus to add query rules. You canalso type in rules manually.

Here are a few example queries:

vmware:/?filter=VMFolder Contains "mango"

vmware:/?filter=Datastore StartsWith "Acc" OR Datastore StartsWith "Prod"

vmware:/?filter=vCenter Contains "ROS" AND ESXserver Equal "VM_test1"AND Powerstate Equal poweredOn

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6 To insert a rule between existing rules, place the cursor where you want thenew rule to start and type it in.

When you create a rule with the drown-down menus, it appears at the end ofthe query. You can cut and paste it into the proper location.

7 To establish the proper order of evaluation in compound queries, useparentheses to group rules as needed. Compound queries contain two or morerules, joined by AND, AND NOT, OR, or OR NOT.

More information is available on the use of parentheses and on the order ofprecedence.

See “AND vs OR in queries” on page 85.

See “Order of operations in queries (precedence rules)” on page 89.

See “Parentheses in compound queries” on page 91.

AND vs OR in queriesThe Join field in the Query Builder provides connectors for joining rules (AND,AND NOT, OR, OR NOT). The effect of AND versus OR in the Query Builder maynot be obvious at first glance.

In essence, AND and OR work in this way:

■ AND limits or restricts the scope of the query.

■ OR opens up the query to an additional possibility, expanding the scope of thequery.

Note: Do not use AND to join the rules that are intended to include additionalvirtual machines in the backup list. For instance, AND cannot be used to mean"include virtual machine X AND virtual machine Y."

For example: To include the virtual machines that have either "vm1" or "vm2" intheir names, use OR to join the rules:

Displayname Contains "vm1"

OR Displayname Contains "vm2"

If you use AND to join these rules:


AND Displayname Contains "vm2"

the result is different: the backup list includes only the virtual machines that haveboth vm1 and vm2 in their names (such as "acmevm1vm2"). A virtual machinewith the name "acmevm1" is not included in the backup.

85Configure automatic selection of virtual machines for backupAND vs OR in queries

Table 6-7 provides examples with AND and OR.

Table 6-7 Queries with AND, OR

DescriptionQuery

This query selects any virtual machine that has either vm1 or vm2 in itsdisplay name. For example, this query selects both "seabizvm1" and"seabizvm2" for backup.


OR Displayname Contains "vm2"

This query is very specific. Virtual machines with the host names thatcontain "manu" are included in the backup only if: they reside in vCenterserver "vCenterServer_1", datacenter "dc_A", and ESX server "prod".

The virtual machines that do not reside in that hierarchy are not included.For example: if a virtual machine resides in "vCenterServer_1" anddatacenter "dc_A", but not in ESX server "prod", that virtual machine isnot included.

vCenter Equal "vCenterServer_1"

AND Datacenter Equal "dc_A"

AND ESXserver Equal "prod"

AND VMHostName Contains "manu"

This query uses the same keywords and values, but combines them withOR. The result may be a much larger list of virtual machines.

A virtual machine that meets any of these rules is included:

■ Any virtual machines in vCenter "vCenterServer_1". Their host names,datacenter, or ESX server do not matter.

■ Any virtual machines in datacenter "dc_A". Their host names or serverdo not matter.

■ Any virtual machines in ESXserver "prod". Their host names, datacenter,or vCenter server do not matter.

■ Any virtual machines with a host name that contains "manu". Theirserver or datacenter do not matter.


OR Datacenter Equal "dc_A"

OR ESXserver Equal "prod"

OR VMHostName Contains "manu"

Examples for the NetBackup Query BuilderThe following table provides example query rules.

To use the Query Builder, you must click Select automatically throughquery onthe Client tab.

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Table 6-8 Query Builder examples

Query result when backup job executesExample query

All virtual machines are added to the backup list. Exceptions arethose that do not have a host name, or that have invalid charactersin the display name.

See “Effect of Primary VM identifier parameter on Selection columnin Test Query results” on page 104.

No query rules specified (Query pane is empty)

All virtual machines with the display names that contain the string"prod" are added to the backup list.

See “Effect of Primary VM identifier parameter on Selection columnin Test Query results” on page 104.

Displayname Contains "prod"

Any virtual machine that is powered on is added to the backup list.powerstate Equal "poweredOn"

All virtual machines with a guest OS of Windows 7 are added tothe backup list.

VMGuestOS Equal "windows7Guest"

The virtual machines named "grayfox7”and "grayfox9" are addedto the backup list. (Note that each value must be enclosed in itsown quotes, with a comma in between.)

DisplayName AnyOf "grayfox7”,"grayfox9"

In datastore Storage_1: any virtual machine that is powered on andhas a guest OS of Red Hat Linux 4 is added to the backup list.

powerstate Equal "poweredOn"

AND Datastore Equal "Storage_1"

AND VMGuestOS Equal "rhel4Guest"

In the vCenter server vCenterServer_1, virtual machines that arein ESX servers with names containing "prod" are added to thebackup list.


AND ESXserver Contains "prod"

In cluster VMcluster_1, all virtual machines with the host namesthat contain "Finance", in ESX servers ESX_1, ESX_2, ESX_3, areadded to the backup list.

Cluster Equal "VMcluster_1"

AND ESXserver AnyOf"ESX_1","ESX_2","ESX_3"

AND VMHostName Contains "Finance"

For any folder whose name starts with "Prod" or whose name isnot "VM_test", add its virtual machines to the backup list.

VMFolder StartsWith "Prod"

OR VMFolder NotEqual "VM_test"

See “The IsSet operator in queries” on page 88.Examples with IsSet

Click Advanced to see the query rule in Advanced Mode. Only Advanced Modesupports the use of parentheses for grouping sets of rules.


87Configure automatic selection of virtual machines for backupExamples for the NetBackup Query Builder

The IsSet operator in queriesIn a query, you can use the IsSet operator to ensure that certain virtual machinesare included or excluded from the backup.

For example: if the Primary VM identifier parameter is set to VM hostname,NetBackup is unable to identify virtual machines for backup that do not have ahost name. You can use IsSet to exclude such virtual machines from the backuplist.

Table 6-9 Examples of queries with the IsSet operator

Effect of the query on virtual machine selectionQuery rules with IsSet operator

INCLUDED: Any virtual machine in a cluster that has a name that containsthe string "dev" if the virtual machine also has a VMware DNS name.

EXCLUDED: Any virtual machines that do not have a VMware DNS Name.

Without VMDNSName IsSet in this query, virtual machines without a DNSname cannot be excluded. They would be listed as FAILED.

Cluster Contains "dev"

AND VMDNSName IsSet

INCLUDED: Any virtual machine with a display name that contains thestring "prod" if the virtual machine also has a host name.

EXCLUDED: Any virtual machines that do not have host names.

Without VMHostName IsSet in this query, virtual machines without a hostname cannot be excluded. They would be listed as FAILED.

Displayname Contains "prod"

AND VMHostName IsSet

The policy's Primary VM identifier parameter has an important effect on whichvirtual machines NetBackup can back up. This parameter affects the test queryresults.


Multiple VMware policies that work togetherIf your virtual environment has many virtual machines with inconsistent namingconventions, you may need multiple policies working in tandem. It may be difficultto create a single policy that automatically selects all the virtual machines thatyou want to back up.

For this situation, configure several policies such that each policy backs up aportion of the environment. One policy backs up a particular set or group of virtualmachines, such as those that have host names. A second policy backs up a different

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group of virtual machines that were not backed up by the first policy, and so forth.When all the policies have run, all the virtual machines are backed up.

The following table describes policies that are designed to back up the virtualenvironment in three phases. Note that each policy relies on a different settingfor the Primary VM identifier parameter.

Table 6-10 Three policies that back up virtual machines in phases

Backup resultQuery Builder rulesPolicy

This policy backs up all virtual machines that have ahost name. Any virtual machines that do not have ahost name are excluded from the backup.

VMHostName IsSetFirst policy

Primary VM identifierparameter: VM hostname

This policy backs up all virtual machines that do nothave a host name but that do have a valid display name.Any virtual machines that do not have a host name ora valid display name are excluded from the backup.

See “NetBackup character restrictions for virtualmachine display names” on page 35.

NOT VMHostName IsSet

AND VMHasVDSName Equal'TRUE'

Second policy

Primary VM identifierparameter: VM display name

This policy backs up the virtual machines that werenot backed up by the first two policies. This policyselects the virtual machines that do not have a hostname or a valid display name, but that do have a UUID.

NOT VMHostName IsSet

AND NOT VMHasVDSNameEqual 'TRUE'

Third policy

Primary VM identifierparameter: VM UUID

More information is available on the Primary VM identifier parameter and itseffect on virtual machine selection.


Order of operations in queries (precedence rules)The information in this topic is for advanced users who understand precedencein programming languages. In the Query Builder, the order in which operationsoccur can determine which virtual machines are selected and backed up.

The following table lists the order of operations, or precedence, from highest tolowest (7 is the highest). For example, an operation with a precedence of 6 (suchas Contains) is evaluated before an operation with a precedence of 5 (such asGreater).

89Configure automatic selection of virtual machines for backupOrder of operations in queries (precedence rules)

Table 6-11

PrecedenceDescriptionOperation

7Produces the value 0 if x is true (nonzero) andthe value 1 if x is false (0).

!x

6Does y exist somewhere in xx Contains y

6Does x start with yx StartsWith y

6Does x end with yx EndsWith y

6Does x appear in listx AnyOf list

5Is x greater than yx Greater y

5Is x greater than or equal to yx GreaterEqual y

5Is x less than yx Less y

5Is x less than or equal to yx LessEqual y

4Is x equal to yx Equal y

4Is x not equal to yx NotEqual y

3operator produces the value 0 if x is true(nonzero) and the value 1 if x is false (0).

Not x

2True if both x and y are truex And y

1True if either x or y are truex OR y

Note the following:

■ AND has a higher precedence than OR.In the Query Builder's Advanced Mode, you can use parentheses to change theorder of evaluation in the rules that use AND or OR.See “Parentheses in compound queries” on page 91.

■ In the Query Builder's Advanced Mode, you can combine two or more operationsin a single rule without AND or OR to join them. Precedence determines theorder in which the operations are evaluated within the rule.Example of a rule that includes three operations:

Displayname StartsWith “L” NotEqual Displayname contains “x”

This rule selects the following virtual machines:Virtual machines with the names that start with L.

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Virtual machines with the names that do not start with L but that do containx.Explanation: The StartsWith and Contains operations have a precedence of 6,whereas NotEqual has a lower precedence of 3. Starting on the left, theStartsWith operation is evaluated first and the Contains operation is evaluatednext. The last operation to be evaluated is Not Equal.


Parentheses in compound queriesYou can use the Query Builder to make precise queries containing as many rulesas necessary to identify the appropriate virtual machines. In a query such aspowerstate Equal "poweredOn", the result of the query is easy to predict: only thevirtual machines that are powered on are included in the backup. But if severalrules are combined with AND and OR, the result may not be obvious. This kind ofquery is called a compound query. Compound queries contain two or more rules,joined by AND, AND NOT, OR, or OR NOT.

The order in which the Query Builder evaluates compound rules affects theoutcome of the query. Grouping the rules with parentheses can change the orderof evaluation and thus the outcome of the query.

The examples in the following table demonstrate how the Query Builder evaluatescompound queries with and without parentheses.

Note: Only the Query Builder's Advanced Mode supports the use of parentheses.

Table 6-12 Examples of compound queries with and without parentheses

The following virtual machines are selectedExample query

All virtual machines under ESX001 (regardless of power state), and virtualmachines under FolderEngA that are powered on.

To select only the virtual machines that are powered on in the ESX serverand in the folder, use parentheses (see next example).

ESXServer Equal "ESX001" OR FolderEqual "FolderEngA" AND powerstateEqual ON

All the virtual machines that are powered on in ESX001 and in FolderEngA.(ESXServer Equal "ESX001" OR FolderEqual "FolderEngA") AND powerstateEqual ON

91Configure automatic selection of virtual machines for backupParentheses in compound queries

Query rules for resource poolsIf the resource pool that you query is nested, the choice of Operator determineswhich virtual machines in the resource pool hierarchy are discovered.

For example, assume the following hierarchy of resource pools that contain virtualmachines:

Res/ResourcePool_1

VM1

VM2

/ResourcePool_2

VM3

VM4

/ResourcePool_3

VM5

VM6

where ResourcePool_1 contains virtual machines VM1 and VM2, and so forth.

The following table shows the query results with the Contains, Equal, StartsWith,and EndsWith operators. (Other operators can be used.)

Note: If you want the query to include all virtual machines in a hierarchy of nestedresource pools, do not use Equal as the Operator.

Table 6-13 Example rules for nested resource pools

Included virtual machinesQuery rule

Includes all the virtual machines in the three resourcepools (VM1 through VM6).

Resourcepool Contains "Res/ResourcePool_1"

Includes only the virtual machines that are inResourcePool_1 (VM1, VM2). Virtual machines in thesub-pools are not included (VM3 through VM6).

Resourcepool Equal "Res/ResourcePool_1"

Includes only the virtual machines that are inResourcePool_2 (VM3, VM4).

Resourcepool Equal "Res/ResourcePool_1/ResourcePool_2"

Includes all the virtual machines in the three resourcepools (VM1 through VM6).

Resourcepool StartsWith "Res/ResourcePool"

Includes only the virtual machines that are inResourcePool_2 and 3. Virtual machines inResourcePool_1 are not included.

Resourcepool StartsWith"Res/ResourcePool_1/ResourcePool_2"

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Table 6-13 Example rules for nested resource pools (continued)

Included virtual machinesQuery rule

Includes the virtual machines in ResourcePool_2 (VM3,VM4) but not in ResourcePool_1 or 3.

Resourcepool EndsWith "ResourcePool_2"

These examples also apply to host folders.

See “Query rules for datacenter folders (HostFolder)” on page 93.

Query rules for datacenter folders (HostFolder)In NetBackup terminology, a host folder is a folder that has been defined withina VMware datacenter. A host folder can contain ESX servers or clusters, as wellas other folders. For example:

Folder_1

ESX1

ESX2

subfolder_A

ESX3

ESX4

subfolder_B

ESX_5

ESX_6

If you want NetBackup to select all the virtual machines within the top-level folderand any subfolders, use the Contains or StartsWith operator. For example:

HostFolder Contains "Folder_1"

Note: If you want the query to include all virtual machines in the hierarchy offolders, do not use Equal as the Operator.

If you want NetBackup to select the virtual machines within a subfolder only (suchas subfolder_A), use the Contains or Equal operator. For example:

HostFolder Equal "Folder_1/subfolder_A"

In this case, NetBackup includes only the virtual machines that reside on serversESX3 and ESX4.

For host folders, these operators work the same as they do for resource pools. Forfurther query builder examples, refer to the following topic (substitute host folderfor resource pool in the examples):

93Configure automatic selection of virtual machines for backupQuery rules for datacenter folders (HostFolder)

See “Query rules for resource pools” on page 92.

Query Builder field referenceTable 6-14 describes the drop-down fields and options for creating rules in theQuery Builder.

Table 6-14 Query Builder drop-down options: Join, Field, Operator, Value(s)

DescriptionQuery Builderdrop-down fields

Selects a connector to join rules.

For the first rule, choices are blank (none) or NOT. After you add arule, the available connectors are AND, AND NOT, OR, OR NOT.

Join

Selects a parameter on which to build the rule. Select one from thelist (scroll down for additional parameters).

You can type the first character to speed up selection. For example,on entering “d”, the list moves to first entry starting with "d". Anotherentry of "d" moves through the list to the next entry starting with "d".The selected entry is automatically filled in.

See Table 6-15 on page 95.

Field

Selects an operator. The available operators depend on the parameterthat is selected for Field.


Operator

Specifies a value for the Field parameter.

The Value field allows manual entry. It may also be a drop-down,depending on the selections that are made in the other fields.

For manual entry, you can specify multiple comma-separated values.


Value(s)

Allows browsing for specific values, depending on the selections thatare made in the other drop-down fields.

Adds the current drop-down selections to the Query pane as a newrule.

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Table 6-14 Query Builder drop-down options: Join, Field, Operator, Value(s)(continued)

DescriptionQuery Builderdrop-down fields

Blanks out the drop-down fields.

Field (keywords)

Table 6-15 describes the keywords available in the Field drop-down. The tablealso indicates whether the values for each keyword (in the Values field) arecase-sensitive.

Note that the inclusion or exclusion of virtual machines is not determined by theField keyword alone, but depends on the rule you construct: the combination ofJoin, Field, Operator, and Value(s).

Table 6-15 Keywords in the Field drop-down

DescriptionData typeField keyword

The text that is added to virtual machine annotations in vSphereClient.

Values are case-sensitive.

Alphanumericstring

Annotation

The name of the cluster (a group of ESX servers) that the virtualmachine is configured in.

Values are not case-sensitive.

Note: A virtual machine may be assigned to an ESX server that isnot in a cluster.

Note also that in VMware, a cluster name need only be unique withina datacenter path.

Alphanumericstring

Cluster

The name of the VMware datacenter.


Alphanumericstring

Datacenter

The folder structure that defines the path to a datacenter. Use thisoption if the datacenter name that you want to filter on is not uniquein your environment.


Alphanumericstring

DatacenterPath

95Configure automatic selection of virtual machines for backupQuery Builder field reference

Table 6-15 Keywords in the Field drop-down (continued)


The name of the datastore.


Note: Multiple ESX servers can share access to the same datastore.Also, a datastore name can be duplicated between multiple ESXservers. Use DatacenterPath or ESXserver to uniquely identify thedatacenter.

Alphanumericstring

Datastore

The name of the datastore cluster that contains the datastores.


Alphanumericstring

DatastoreCluster

The name of the folder that contains the datastores.


Alphanumericstring

DatastoreFolder

The name of the datastore's NFS host.


Alphanumericstring

DatastoreNFSHost

The folder structure that defines the path to an NFS datastore. Usethis option if the NFS host name of the datastore that you want tofilter on is not unique in your environment.


Alphanumericstring

DatastoreNFSPath

The type of the datastore. Values are NFS or VMFS.


Alphanumericstring

DatastoreType

The virtual machine's display name.


Alphanumericstring

Displayname

The name of the ESX server.


The ESX host name must match the name as defined in the vCenterserver.

Alphanumericstring

ESXserver

The folder path between the datacenter level and a cluster, ESX hosts,or a subfolder.


See “Query rules for datacenter folders (HostFolder)” on page 93.

Alphanumericstring

HostFolder


96



The name of the network switch (on an ESX server) or distributedswitch.


Alphanumericstring

Network

The name of the folder that contains the network.


Alphanumericstring

NetworkFolder

The power state of the virtual machine.

Values are poweredOff, poweredOn, suspended.

AlphabeticPowerstate

The name of the resource pool. (A resource pool is similar to a vApp.)


If a resource pool contains other resource pools (sub-pools), the choiceof Operator determines whether virtual machines in the sub-poolsare included.

See “Query rules for resource pools” on page 92.

Alphanumericstring

Resourcepool

TRUE if the virtual machine is a virtual machine template.BooleanTemplate

The name of the vApp.


A vApp is a collection of virtual machines. vApps can also containresource pools and other vApps. vApps are components of standaloneESX servers or of clusters.

Like vSphere Client, NetBackup refers only to the top level of a vAppthat contains sub vApps.

For the following rule:

vApp Equal "vapp1"

if vapp1 has a sub vApp named "vapp2", any virtual machines invapp1 or vapp2 are included. You cannot make a rule that refersspecifically to vapp2.

Alphanumericstring

vApp




The name of the vCenter server.


The vCenter name that is specified in the Query Builder must matchthe name as entered in the Administration Console for NetBackupcredentials. (MediaandDeviceManagement>Credentials>VirtualMachine Servers.)

Note that a fully qualified domain name is recommended.

Alphanumericstring

vCenter

The virtual machine DNS name in vSphere Client.


Alphanumericstring

VMDNSName

The folder structure (within a datacenter) to a virtual machine folder,including all subfolders.


Examples are:

/clusters/discovered virtual machine

/standalone/folder1/folder2

Alphanumericstring

VMFolder

The virtual machine guest OS type that is recorded in vSphere Client.


Alphanumericstring

VMGuestOS

TRUE if the virtual machine has IDE drives.BooleanVMHasIDE

TRUE if the virtual machine has multiple datastores.

You can use this keyword to select any virtual machine that isconfigured to use more than one datastore.

BooleanVMHasMDS

TRUE if the virtual machine uses Raw Device Mapping (RDM).BooleanVMHasRDM

TRUE if a VMware snapshot of the virtual machine is currently active.BooleanVMHasSnap

TRUE if the virtual machine has a display name that is valid for useas the host name.

BooleanVMHasVDSName

The virtual machine name that is derived from a reverse lookup ofits IP address.


Alphanumericstring

VMHostName


98



TRUE if the virtual machine is connected and available.

For example: If a virtual machine's ESX server is down, that virtualmachine is not connected.

BooleanVMIsConn

The VMware version of the virtual machine.


For example: vmx-04, vmx-07, vmx-08.

Alphanumericstring

VMVersion

The name of the vmx datastore (sometimes called the vmx directoryor configuration datastore).


More information on the vmx datastore is available.


Alphanumericstring

VMXDatastore

The name of the folder that contains the vmx datastores.


Alphanumericstring

VMXDatastoreFolder

The name of the vmx datastore's NFS host.


Alphanumericstring

VMXDatastoreNFSHost

The folder structure that defines the path to a vmx NFS datastore.Use this option if the NFS host name of the datastore that you wantto filter on is not unique in your environment.


Alphanumericstring

VMXDatastoreNFSPath

The type of the vmx datastore. Values are NFS or VMFS.


Alphanumericstring

VMXDatastoreType

The value of a custom attribute that is set in vSphere Client for oneor more virtual machines.

Note: in vSphere Client, the attribute must have a value for at leastone virtual machine. The attribute type must be Virtual Machine.

The values are case-sensitive.

Alphanumericstring

[vSphere customattributes]

Operators

Table 6-16 describes the operators available in the Operator drop-down.


Table 6-16 Operators in the Operator drop-down

DescriptionOperator

Matches any of the specified values in the Value(s) field.

For example: If the ESX servers in the Value(s) field are "ESX01","ESX02,"ESX03", AnyOf matchesany ESX server that has one of those names. If the names of your servers are not identical toany of the specified values, no match occurs. A server named ESX01A is not a match.

AnyOf

Matches the value in the Value(s) field wherever that value occurs in the string.

For example: If the Value(s) entry is "dev", Contains matches strings such as "01dev", "01dev99","devOP", and "Development_machine".

Contains

Matches the value in the Value(s) field when it occurs at the end of a string.

For example: If the Value(s) entry is "dev", EndsWith matches the string "01dev" but not"01dev99", "devOP", or "Development_machine".

EndsWith

Matches only the value that is specified in the Value(s) field.

For example: If the display name to search for is "VMtest27", Equal matches virtual machinenames such as VMTest27 or vmtest27 or vmTEST27, and so forth. The name VMtest28 is notmatched.

Equal

Matches any value that is greater than the specified Value(s), according to the ASCII collatingsequence.

Greater

Matches any value that is greater than or equal to the specified Value(s), according to the ASCIIcollating sequence.

GreaterEqual

Determines whether a value is returned for the Field keyword. Use IsSet with another rule asa condition, to ensure that the query selects the appropriate virtual machines.

Note that you do not make an entry under Value(s) for a rule that uses IsSet.

See “The IsSet operator in queries” on page 88.

See “Effect of Primary VM identifier parameter on Selection column in Test Query results”on page 104.

See “Test Query: Failed virtual machines” on page 103.

IsSet

Matches any value that is less than the specified Value(s), according to the ASCII collatingsequence.

Less

Matches any value that is less than or equal to the specified Value(s), according to the ASCIIcollating sequence.

LessEqual

Matches any value that is not equal to the value in the Value(s) field.NotEqual


100

Table 6-16 Operators in the Operator drop-down (continued)

DescriptionOperator

Matches the value in the Value(s) field when it occurs at the start of a string.

For example: If the Value(s) entry is "box", StartsWith matches the string "box_car" but not"flatbox".

StartsWith

Value(s)

Table 6-17 describes the characters that can be entered in the Value(s) field. TheField keyword determines case sensitivity.

Note: The character string you enter in the Value(s) field must be enclosed insingle quotes or double quotes.

Table 6-17 Characters you can enter for Value(s)

String characters allowedCharacter types

A to Z, a to z, 0 to 9, - (minus sign), and special characters.

Note: Decimal numbers only.

Alphanumerics

* (asterisk) matches everything.

For example: "*prod*" matches the string "prod" preceded or followed by any characters.

? (question mark) matches any single character.

For example: "prod??" matches the string "prod" followed by any two characters.

Wildcards

\ (backslash) escapes the wildcard or meta-character that follows it.

For example: To search for a string that contains an asterisk (such as test*), enter "test\*"

Escape character

Note: The characters you enter in Value(s) must be enclosed in single or double quotes.

To search for a string that contains quotation marks, either escape each quote (\") or enclosethe entire string in the opposite type of quotes.

For example: To search for a string that includes double quotes (such as "name"), enter'"name"' (enclosing it in single quotes) or "\"name\""

Quotation marks

Test Query screenThis screen lists the virtual machines that NetBackup discovered in your virtualenvironment when you clicked Test Query. Later changes in the virtualenvironment may affect which virtual machines match the query rules. For

101Configure automatic selection of virtual machines for backupTest Query screen

example: if virtual machines are added, the test results may not be identical tothe virtual machines that are selected for backup when the backup runs.

When the next backup runs from this policy, the following occur: NetBackupre-discovers virtual machines, consults the query rules, and backs up the virtualmachines that match the rules.

The list of backed up virtual machines is saved but the virtual machines are notdisplayed in the policy's Clients tab. You can use the Activity Monitor to view thevirtual machine jobs, or you can run a Virtual Client Summary report inOpsCenter.

Note: An alternative to the Test Query screen is the nbdiscover command. Formore information, see the NetBackup Commands Reference Guide.



The Test Query function runs in the background. You can continue to configurethe policy while the test runs. Any changes you make in the Query Builder howeverare not included in the currently running test. You must re-initiate the test to seethe results of your Query Builder changes.

Lists the rules in the Query Builder that were used in this test. The rules are specified in the QueryBuilder on the policy Clients tab.

Testing queryfor policy

VM Name: Shows the display name of all discovered virtual machines.

Selection: Lists the virtual machines that were discovered, as follows:

■ INCLUDED: The virtual machine matches the rules in the query.

■ EXCLUDED: The virtual machine does not match the rules in the query.

■ FAILED: The virtual machine cannot be selected for backup because of a host name problemor other error. Also, the query cannot exclude the virtual machine. An explanation appears atthe bottom of the Test Query screen. For example:

VM does not have a host name to use as aclient name, display name =

See “Test Query: Failed virtual machines” on page 103.

The operator IsSet can be used to filter out such virtual machines. More information is availableon IsSet.



Test queryresults

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The bottom of the screen gives a tally of how many virtual machines were included, excluded, orfailed in the test.

Included:

Excluded:

Failed:




Test Query: Failed virtual machinesIf the query rules cannot exclude a virtual machine, and that virtual machinecannot be selected for backup, it is marked as FAILED. The virtual machine islisted as not run in the job details log.

For example: the virtual machine does not have the type of name specified by thePrimary VM identifier parameter (such as host name or display name). Or thevirtual machine name contains invalid characters. In any case, a virtual machinethat is listed as FAILED should be investigated: it may be one that you want toback up.

To see the reason for the failure, click on the virtual machine in the Test QueryResults. An explanation appears at the bottom of the screen.

For example:

103Configure automatic selection of virtual machines for backupTest Query: Failed virtual machines

Explanation: The virtual machine that is listed as New Virtual Machine in theexample does not have a VMware host name. In the NetBackup policy, on theVMware tab, the PrimaryVMidentifier parameter may be set to VMhostname.In that case, NetBackup cannot refer to the virtual machine by its host name andthus cannot back it up.

You can fix this problem in a couple of ways:

■ Use vSphere Client to configure a host name for the virtual machine.

■ To exclude the virtual machines that have no host name, construct a querywith the IsSet operator.


Effect of Primary VM identifier parameter onSelection column in Test Query results

The NetBackup policy's Primary VM identifier parameter tells NetBackup howto identify virtual machines. For example, if the parameter is set to VMhostname,

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NetBackup identifies virtual machines by their host names. If they do not have ahost name, the policy cannot back them up.

The PrimaryVMidentifier parameter has a direct effect on the query test results.Note that for each virtual machine, the query test result is one of three possibilities:INCLUDED, EXCLUDED, or FAILED.

If NetBackup cannot identify a virtual machine according to the Primary VMidentifier parameter, one of two test results can occur:

■ If the virtual machine is filtered out by the query rules, it is listed asEXCLUDED.

■ If the virtual machine is not filtered out by the query rules, it is listed asFAILED.The following table gives the test query results from example combinationsof the Primary VM identifier parameter and a query rule.

Table 6-18 Effect of Primary VM identifier parameter and query rules on testquery results

Test query resultQuery rule in QueryBuilder

Primary VMidentifier setting onVMware policy tab

INCLUDED: Any virtual machines with a host name thatcontains "VM". Since the Primary VM identifier parametertells NetBackup to select the virtual machine by host name,it can back up the virtual machines.

EXCLUDED: All other virtual machines.

VMHostName Contains "VM"VM hostname

INCLUDED: Any virtual machines that have a host name andthat have a display name that contains "VM".

EXCLUDED: Any virtual machines that have a host name,but that do not have a display name containing "VM".

FAILED: Any virtual machines that do not have a host name.Since the Primary VM identifier parameter is set to VMhostname, NetBackup cannot select the virtual machine forbackup.

Displayname Contains "VM"VM hostname

INCLUDED: Any virtual machines that have a host name andthat have a display name that contains "VM".

EXCLUDED: All other virtual machines. The IsSet rule meansthat if a virtual machine does not have a host name, it isexcluded.

Displayname Contains "VM"


VM hostname

105Configure automatic selection of virtual machines for backupEffect of Primary VM identifier parameter on Selection column in Test Query results

Table 6-18 Effect of Primary VM identifier parameter and query rules on testquery results (continued)

Test query resultQuery rule in QueryBuilder

Primary VMidentifier setting onVMware policy tab

INCLUDED:

■ Any virtual machines that have a host name and thathave a display name that contains "VM".

■ Any virtual machines without a host name that have anannotation that contains "test".


Displayname Contains "VM"


OR Annotation Contains"test"

AND NOT VMHostNameIsSet

VM hostname

INCLUDED: Any virtual machines with the display namesthat contain "VM". Since the Primary VM identifier parametertells NetBackup to select the virtual machine by display name,it can back up the virtual machines.


Displayname Contains "VM"VM display name

INCLUDED: Any virtual machines that have a display nameand that have a host name that contains "VM".

EXCLUDED: Any virtual machines that have a display name,but that do not have a host name containing "VM".

FAILED: Any virtual machines that do not have a displayname. Since the Primary VM identifier parameter is set toVM display name, NetBackup cannot select those virtualmachines for backup.

VMHostName Contains "VM"VM display name

Effect of Primary VM identifier parameter on VMName column in Test query results

The policy's PrimaryVMidentifier parameter affects the type of virtual machinename that appears in the VM Name column of the Test Query screen, as follows:

■ If a virtual machine is EXCLUDED or FAILED, it is listed according to its virtualmachine display name. The PrimaryVMidentifier parameter does not matter.

■ But if a virtual machine is listed as INCLUDED, note: The name that appearsunder VM Name is the type of name that is specified on the Primary VMidentifier parameter.For example: If the Primary VM identifier parameter is VM hostname, theincluded virtual machine is listed according to its host name. Even if the query

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rule specified Display name (such as Displayname Equal "vm1"), the virtualmachine appears on the Test Query screen by its host name.


107Configure automatic selection of virtual machines for backupEffect of Primary VM identifier parameter on VM Name column in Test query results

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108

Reduce the size of backups


■ About reducing the size of VMware backups

■ Block-level backup (BLIB): full vs incremental

■ Deleting a vSphere Client snapshot

■ Using VMware's Changed Block Tracking for full backups only

About reducing the size of VMware backupsNetBackup provides the following options for reducing the backup size for aVMware virtual machine:

7Chapter

BLIB reduces the size of backups (full and incremental) by tracking block-level changes.Only the blocks that have changed since the last full or incremental are included in thebackup. For incremental backups, this option applies to cumulative and to differentialbackups.

BLIB works with VMware’s Changed Block Tracking in vSphere to track block-level changesin the virtual machine.

To enable BLIB, click Enable block-level incremental backup in the NetBackup policyVMware tab. NetBackup uses BLIB for storage optimization when the backup runs.

Note: The first backup you run with BLIB must be a full backup.

See “Block-level backup (BLIB): full vs incremental” on page 110.

Note the following about block level incremental backups:

■ Works only with ESX 4.0 or later virtual machines at version vmx-07 or later.

■ Requires vStorage (cannot be used in VCB-based backups).

Note: If you have used the vSphere Client interface to manually create a snapshot of thevirtual machine and that snapshot is currently active, you may have to delete the snapshot.

See “Deleting a vSphere Client snapshot” on page 111.

See “Using VMware's Changed Block Tracking for full backups only” on page 112.

Block levelincremental backup(BLIB)

Reduces the size of virtual machine backups by excluding any deleted sectors in the filesystem on the virtual machine.

To enable this option, click Exclude deleted blocks on the policy VMware tab.

Refer to Exclude deleted blocks in the following topic:

See “Optimizations options (VMware)” on page 52.

Exclusion of deletedblocks.

Block-level backup (BLIB): full vs incrementalWhen you use the Enable block-level incremental backup option in the policy,NetBackup uses VMware's Changed Block Tracking feature to reduce the backupsize. Since this option works at the block level (not at the file level), it applies onlyto backups of the entire virtual machine. It cannot be used when the policy backupselections list specifies individual files.

This option reduces the size of full backups as well as the size of incrementalbackups, as follows.

Reduce the size of backupsBlock-level backup (BLIB): full vs incremental

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Table 7-1 Block-level backup of the virtual machine: full vs incrementalschedule

Optimization that is used in backupType of backup

Backs up only the blocks that have changed since the.vmdk was created.

Backup of entire virtual machine,with full schedule

Backs up only the blocks that have changed since thelast backup, as follows:

■ For cumulative incrementals, BLIB backs up onlythe blocks that changed since the last full backup.

■ For differential incrementals, BLIB backs up onlythe blocks that changed since the previous backupof any kind.

Backup of entire virtual machine,with incremental schedule

Deleting a vSphere Client snapshotTo use BLIB with NetBackup for VMware, you must delete an existing vSphereClient snapshot if both of the following are true:

■ You used the vSphere Client interface to manually create a snapshot of thevirtual machine and that snapshot is currently active.

■ A NetBackup policy with the Enable block-level incremental backup featurehad never been used to back up the virtual machine before you started thevSphere Client snapshot.

In this case, NetBackup cannot enable BLIB for the virtual machine. You mustdelete the vSphere Client snapshot. Then, when the NetBackup policy runs, BLIBis enabled.

More information is available on NetBackup block-level backups:

To delete a vSphere Client snapshot

1 In the vSphere Client interface, right-click on the virtual machine and selectSnapshot > Snapshot Manager.

2 Select the snapshot and click Delete.

3 To back up the virtual machine with BLIB, you can now run a NetBackuppolicy that uses Enable block-level incremental backup.

NetBackup backups from this policy continue to use storage optimization,even if you manually create a snapshot of the virtual machine using vSphereClient.

111Reduce the size of backupsDeleting a vSphere Client snapshot

Using VMware's Changed Block Tracking for fullbackups only

The Enable block-level incremental backup option (BLIB) in the NetBackupVMware policy applies to full backups and incremental backups. BLIB skips blockson the virtual disk that are unmodified since the last backup. If you want to skipunmodified blocks during full backups but not incrementals, do not configure thepolicy for BLIB. Instead, enable changed block tracking by means of the vSphereClient interface.

To enable changed block tracking for full backups only (vSphere Client interface)

1 In the vSphere Client interface, power off the virtual machine.

2 Select the virtual machine, then click Edit settings.

3 Obtain the hard drive controller and disk numbers (SCSI and IDE) for eachvirtual drive on the virtual machine.

To find the controller number and disk numbers, do the following:

■ Click the Hardware tab.

■ Click on each hard disk. Its controller number and disk number (SCSI orIDE) appear under Virtual Device Node, in the form SCSI(X.X) orIDE(X.X). Make a note of each.

4 Click the Options tab. Under Advanced, General, click ConfigurationParameters.

5 On the Configuration Parameters screen, click Add Row.

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112

6 Enter ctkEnabled in the Name column and enter true for the Value.

7 For each virtual drive on the virtual machine, enter a Name in the form:

scsiX:X.ctkEnabled

or

ideX:X.ctkEnabled

where X:X represents the controller number and disk number of each disk asfound on the Hardware tab.

For example: scsi0:0.ctkEnabled for the first disk and scsi0:1.ctkEnabled

for the second disk. (The numbers for your disks may be different.)

8 Enter true for the Value of each disk entry.

9 Click OK.

10 Power on the virtual machine.

Now you can use vSphere Client to take a snapshot of the virtual machine.NetBackup can apply vStorage optimization (changed block tracking) to futurebackups of the virtual machine.

113Reduce the size of backupsUsing VMware's Changed Block Tracking for full backups only

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114

Back up virtual machines


■ Backing up virtual machines

■ Using the Activity Monitor to monitor virtual machine backups

■ Viewing NetBackup activity in vSphere Client

■ Using OpsCenter to report on virtual machine backups

Backing up virtual machinesVirtual machine backups initiate from a NetBackup policy. You can start thebackup manually from a policy, or have it run automatically according to a schedulethat is defined in the policy.

To create the policy, you can use the Policies utility in the NetBackupAdministration Console, or the Policy Configuration Wizard .


See “Configuring a VMware policy from the Policy Wizard ” on page 47.

For further information on policies and backup schedules, see the "Creating backuppolicies" chapter of the NetBackup Administrator's Guide, Volume I.

8Chapter

To back up a virtual machine manually from an existing policy

1 Click on Policies in the NetBackup Administration Console, select the policy,and click Actions > Manual Backup.

The Manual Backup dialog appears.

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116

2 Select the type of schedule for the backup.

3 Select the clients (virtual machines) to back up.

If the policy was configured for automatic selection of virtual machines, theClients pane shows the VMware backup host rather than the virtual machines.

4 Click OK to start the backup.

5 To see the job progress, click Activity Monitor in the NetBackupAdministration Console.

It may take a few moments for the job to appear in the Activity Monitor. Donot start another backup if a job does not immediately appear. If the job doesnot show up after a few moments, close and restart the NetBackupAdministration Console.

Note that your VMware backup request launches more than one job. The firstjob automatically creates and deletes snapshots. This job has a dash (-) in theSchedule column. The second job backs up the virtual machine files from thesnapshot.

Using the ActivityMonitor tomonitor virtualmachinebackups

You can use the NetBackup Activity Monitor to keep track of the VMware virtualmachines that a policy backs up.

To monitor the virtual machines that a policy backs up

1 Click Activity Monitor in the left pane of the Administration Console.

2 Note each job as it appears by row.

If the policy selects virtual machines automatically (based on a query), thebackup consists of three generations of jobs:

■ The first job is the discovery of the virtual machines.

■ The discovery job starts one or more child jobs to take a snapshot of eachvirtual machine.

■ Each snapshot job starts a child job to back up each virtual machine.So the job flow is as follows:

discovery job --> snapshot job --> backup job

117Back up virtual machinesUsing the Activity Monitor to monitor virtual machine backups

3 To trace the discovery job to the virtual machine backup jobs, note the JobID and the Parent Job ID columns.

In this sample screen, job 113 is a virtual machine backup (grandchild). (Notethat each virtual machine backup job includes the name of its schedule in theSchedule column.) Its parent job was 106, the snapshot job. Job 101 (thediscovery job) was the parent of 106.

In this example, any job with a parent ID of 101 is a snapshot job for 101. Jobs109 through 115 are the virtual machine backups that originated from 101.

4 Right-click on the job row and click Details.

On the Job Details screen, click the DetailedStatus tab for more informationon the job.

5 If the Job ID or the Parent Job ID column is not displayed in the ActivityMonitor, display them as follows:

■ Right click anywhere in the column header row and click Columns >Layout.

■ Click the row for the heading that you want to display (such as Job ID).

■ Use the following icons at the top of the screen to show the heading:

Sets the State to Show.

Moves the row up or down in the list (farther to the left orright in the Activity Monitor).

■ Click OK. The Job ID and Parent Job ID columns should now be visible inthe Activity Monitor.

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118

Viewing NetBackup activity in vSphere ClientNetBackup can record backup activity for virtual machines in VMware vCenter.You can view the events in vSphere Client at the level of any parent object (suchas folder, datacenter, cluster, or host). You can also view the events for the entirevirtual machine.

Make sure that the policy's Post events to vCenter option is enabled:

See “VMware - Advanced Attributes dialog” on page 57.

To view backup events and the last backup time in vSphere Client

1 Open vSphere Client and connect to the VMware server.

2 Go to Home > Inventory > Hosts and Clusters.

3 Select the object (such as datacenter, host, or virtual machine) and click theTasks & Events tab.

4 Click the Events view.

119Back up virtual machinesViewing NetBackup activity in vSphere Client

5 In the Description, Type or Target contains field, enter NetBackup.

If some NetBackup events do not appear, the events display limit may havebeen reached in vSphere Client. The maximum number of events that vSphereClient can display is 1000 (the default is 100).

See “To change the events display limit in vSphere Client” on page 121.

Each NetBackup event includes the following details:

Shows the NetBackup operation that succeeded or failed, andincludes policy details and duration. When you click on therow of the event, the Event Details pane shows the sameinformation.

Description

The types are info for a successful operation, and error for afailed operation.

Type

The date and time of the event.Date Time

Not used.Task

The virtual machine that was backed up.Target

The user that ran the backup.User

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120

6 To see the date and time of the last backup for a particular virtual machine,select the virtual machine and click the Summary tab.

The timestamp of the last backup is listed for the NB_LAST_BACKUP attribute,under Annotations:

7 To see the date and time of the last backup for all virtual machines, click theVirtual Machines tab.

To change the events display limit in vSphere Client

◆ In vSphere Client, click the Edit > Client Settings > Lists tab.

Use the Page size field to change the size.

121Back up virtual machinesViewing NetBackup activity in vSphere Client

UsingOpsCenter to report on virtualmachinebackupsTo use OpsCenter to obtain a backup report on VMware virtual machines

1 Start the OpsCenter console in a Web browser.

On a system that has a network connection to the OpsCenter server, enterthe following in a browser:

http://host.domain/opscenter

where host.domain is the fully qualified domain name or IP address of theOpsCenter server.

2 Click the Reports tab.

3 Click Client Reports > Virtual Client Summary.

The Virtual Client Summary report is described in the Symantec OpsCenterAdministrator's Guide.

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Restore virtual machines


■ Restore notes and restrictions

■ Restore notes and restrictions on Linux

■ Restoring the full VMware virtual machine

■ About restore of individual files

■ Restoring individual files

■ About the NetBackup.lost+found directory on Linux

■ If the recovery host is not at the same NetBackup release level as the backuphost

Restore notes and restrictionsBefore you begin the restore, note the following:

■ Unless a NetBackup client is installed on the virtual machine, you must do therestore from the NetBackup master server.

■ To restore files to the original virtual machine location, the destination mustbe specified as the virtual machine's host name (not display name or UUID).

■ To restore directly to an ESX server, the name that is specified for the restoremust match the ESX server’s official host name. The name must be in the sameformat in which it is registered in DNS and in the VMware server (whethershort or fully-qualified).See “Adding NetBackup credentials for VMware” on page 40.

■ The restore fails if ESX servers are configured with short host names and thebackup and restore are done through a vCenter server.

9Chapter

See “The restore fails if ESX servers use short host names and backups andrestores use a vCenter server” on page 166.

■ Cross-platform restore of individual files is not supported. You can restoreWindows files to Windows guest operating systems but not to Linux. You canrestore Linux files to supported Linux guest operating systems but not toWindows.

■ If the virtual machine was backed up by its display name or UUID, and thedisplay name differs from the host name, note: You must specify the correctdestination client for the restore. Use the Specify NetBackup Machines andPolicy Type dialog in the NetBackup Backup, Archive, and Restore interface.See “Invalid client error when you restore files using NetBackup BAR interfaceinstalled on the virtual machine” on page 170.

■ Restore of individual files from a backup of the full virtual machine is notsupported if the virtual machine contains Storage Foundation Volume Managervolumes.

■ To restore Windows NTFS-encrypted files individually, you must install aNetBackup client on the virtual machine.See “NetBackup for VMware best practices” on page 151.

■ For virtual machine restores, VMware supports the NBDSSL transport modeonly for vStorage backups of vSphere 4.1 and later environments. Backups ofthe VMware systems that are earlier than vSphere 4.1 cannot be restored usingthe NBDSSL transport mode.

■ If the attempt to restore a full virtual machine fails while using the SANtransport type, try the NBD transport type instead.

■ VMware does not support the restore of virtual machines directly to an ESX5.x server that vCenter manages. To restore the virtual machine, select thevCenter server as the destination.As an alternative, you can set up an independent ESX server to be used forrestores. You must add NetBackup restore credentials for that ESX server bymeans of the VMware restore ESX server server type.See “Adding NetBackup credentials for VMware” on page 40.

■ For the SAN transport mode, the job may be slow when you restore to a vCenterServer. For greater speed, designate a VMware restore ESX server as thedestination for the restore.See “Adding NetBackup credentials for VMware” on page 40.

■ A restore by means of the SAN transport mode may be slow in othercircumstances. The following VMware article provides details:Best practices when using SAN transport for backup and restore

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124

http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1035096

■ The APIs in VMware's Virtual Disk Development Kit (VDDK) contain thefollowing limitation: the maximum write speed during virtual machine restoreis roughly one third of the hardware's maximum speed. The following Symantectech note contains further information:Two causes of slow NetBackup for VMware restore performancehttp://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH169860

■ If the restore host is on Windows Server 2008 and you use the SAN transportmode for the restore, the SAN luns must be online. Refer to the informationon status code 5 in the following section:See “NetBackup status codes related to VMware” on page 162.

■ When restoring large files, make sure that no snapshots are active on thedestination virtual machine. Otherwise, the files are restored to the VMwareconfiguration datastore, which may be too small to contain the files you wantto restore. In that case, the restore fails.The configuration datastore (sometimes called the vmx directory) containsthe configuration files that describe the virtual machine, such as *.vmx files.Note that active snapshots of vmdk files are also stored on the configurationdatastore.

■ If you cancel the virtual machine restore before it completes, thenot-fully-restored virtual machine remains at the target location. NetBackupdoes not delete the incomplete virtual machine when the restore job is canceled.You must manually remove the incomplete virtual machine.

■ If the virtual machine display name contains non-ASCII characters, the backupmay succeed but the restore fails. To restore the virtual machine, you mustchange the display name to contain ASCII characters only and retry the restore.

■ To restore a virtual machine that was backed up with VCB, you must use theVMware Converter and a staging host in the following case:

■ The virtual machine was backed up through a vCenter 4.0 or later server,and

■ The folder structure on the vCenter server has changed since the time ofthe backup.Because of the changed folder structure on the vCenter server, theautomated restore procedure does not work. Restore the virtual machinefiles to a staging computer and use the VMware Converter to manuallyrestore the files.

■ Note the following limitations regarding VCB and VMware ConverterStandalone:

■ VMware Converter Standalone 4.0.1 is the last revision to support VCB.

125Restore virtual machinesRestore notes and restrictions


■ For a virtual machine that was backed up with VCB, VMware ConverterStandalone cannot restore the VM to a vCenter server that contains vApps.To use Converter Standalone, you must restore the virtual machine directlyto an ESX or ESXi server. For more information, refer to the VMwareknowledge base:VMware Knowledge Base (1034316)NetBackup support for VCB will be discontinued in a future release.

■ See “NetBackup for VMware: notes and restrictions” on page 32.

Restore notes and restrictions on LinuxBefore you begin the restore, note the following:

■ Cross-platform restore of individual files is not supported. You can restoreLinux files to supported Linux guest operating systems but not to Windows.

■ If the Linux file system was not quiesced before the snapshot, some files maybe inconsistent. Such files can be recovered from the NetBackup.lost+founddirectory.See “About the NetBackup.lost+found directory on Linux” on page 147.See “About the SYMCquiesce utility” on page 179.

■ To migrate an ext2 or ext3 file system to ext4, note: Make sure to follow theinstructions under "Converting an ext3 filesystem to ext4" on the followingpage of the Ext4 wiki:https://ext4.wiki.kernel.org/index.php/Ext4_Howto#Converting_an_ext3_filesystem_to_ext4If you do not follow these instructions, data in a newly created ext4 file is notpromptly flushed from memory to disk. As a result, NetBackup cannot backup the data of recently created files in the ext4 file system. (The NetBackupsnapshot captures the file as zero length.)

As a workaround for the file systems that were not correctly migrated, do oneof the following:

■ Run the Linux sync command on the ext4 file system before starting eachbackup.

■ Install the NetBackup SYMCquiesce utility for VMware. This utility isdescribed in the "SYMCquiesce utility for Linux virtual machines" appendix.The SYMCquiesce utility quiesces the Linux file system, to guarantee thatall data has been flushed from memory to disk.

■ For Linux virtual machines, NetBackup cannot restore individual files fromsoftware RAID volumes. The files are restored when you restore the entirevirtual machine.

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http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1034316

https://ext4.wiki.kernel.org/index.php/Ext4_Howto#Converting_an_ext3_filesystem_to_ext4

■ The Linux ext4 file system includes a persistent pre-allocation feature, toguarantee disk space for files without padding the allocated space with zeros.When NetBackup restores a pre-allocated file (to any supported ext file system),the file loses its preallocation and is restored as a sparse file. The restoredsparse file is only as large as the last byte that was written to the original file.Note also that subsequent writes to the sparse file may be non-contiguous.

■ NetBackup supports backup and restore of Linux LVM2 volumes, includingindividual file restore from an LVM2 volume. Note however that NetBackupdoes not support individual file restore from a snapshot that was created bymeans of the snapshot feature in LVM2. If an LVM2 snapshot exists at thetime of the backup, the data in the snapshot is captured in the backup. Thedata can be restored along with the rest of the virtual machine data when yourecover the entire virtual machine.

■ NetBackup supports backup of Linux FIFO files and socket files. NetBackupdoes not support restoring FIFO files and socket files individually. FIFO filesand socket files can be restored along with the rest of the virtual machine datawhen you recover the entire virtual machine.

■ For Linux virtual machines, the ext2, ext3, and ext4 file systems are supportedfor individual file restore. If a partition uses some other file system, the backupsucceeds but files in that partition cannot be individually restored. To allowNetBackup to present mount points for restore in the Backup, Archive, andRestore interface, note: The "/" (root) partition must be formatted with ext2,ext3, or ext4.See “Mount points not available when restoring files from a Linux virtualmachine” on page 169.

■ When you restore Linux files individually to an NFS-shared device on a Linuxvirtual machine, NetBackup can only restore the file data and attributes. Theextended attributes cannot be restored to NFS-shared devices.

■ For a virtual machine that is running a Linux guest operating system: Whenyou restore a virtual machine (to its original location or different location),the ESX server assigns the virtual machine a new (virtual) MAC address. Afteryou restart the virtual machine, you may have to configure its MAC address.For instance, the original MAC address of the virtual machine may be in aconfiguration file that has to be updated.Refer to your VMware documentation for more details.

■ For Linux, additional notes apply.See “NetBackup for VMware: notes on Linux virtual machines” on page 34.

127Restore virtual machinesRestore notes and restrictions on Linux

Restoring the full VMware virtual machineTo restore the full virtual machine

1 Start the NetBackup Backup, Archive, and Restore interface (BAR).

2 Specify the source client and destination client and type of policy:

In the Java interface, on the Restore Files tab, click the restore icon (handsymbol in the upper right).

In the Windows interface: Click Files > Specify NetBackup Machines andPolicy Type.

3 Specify the following:

The NetBackup master server that directed the backupServer to use forbackupandrestores

The VMware virtual machine that was backed up.

Enter the type of name that was selected for the Primary VMidentifier option on the policy VMware tab. For example, ifthe PrimaryVMidentifier option is set to VM host name, enterthe virtual machine's host name.

Source client forrestores

This field is ignored. The destination for the restore is specifiedin a different screen as explained in a later procedure.

Destination clientfor restores

The type of policy that made the backup.Policy type forrestores

4 Select the type of restore:

In the Java interface, on the Restore Files tab, select Restore type > VirtualMachine Backups.

In the Windows interface, click the down arrow on the Select for Restoreoption. Select Restore from Virtual Machine Backup. A restore windowdisplays the backups available for restore.

5 Select the virtual machine backup to restore.

In the Java interface, do the following:

■ On the RestoreFiles tab, specify the Startdate and Enddate within whichto search for the backup. Click either of the calendar options.

■ Specify root (/) in the Browse directory field and press Enter.

■ Click on the root directory that is displayed under Directory Structure.

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In the Windows interface, in the NetBackup History pane, click on theVMware backup. Then click on the item that is displayed under All Folders.You cannot select individual files. You must select the entire virtual machine.

129Restore virtual machinesRestoring the full VMware virtual machine

6 Select restore options.

In the Java interface, click Restore.

In the Windows interface, click Actions > Restore.

The type of dialog that appears next depends on how NetBackup performedthe backup (by means of vStorage or VCB).

See “Virtual Machine Recovery dialog boxes (restore to original location)”on page 130.

See “Virtual Machine Recovery dialogs boxes (restore to alternate location)”on page 134.

See “Restore Marked Files dialog box (VMware with VCB)” on page 141.

See “About restore of the virtual machine from a VCB backup” on page 140.

Virtual Machine Recovery dialog boxes (restore to original location)If NetBackup used VMware vStorage to back up the virtual machine, the VirtualMachine Recovery dialog boxes appear when you start the restore.

Recovery Destination dialog boxYou can select the type of destination for the virtual machine recovery: the originallocation or alternate location.

This dialog includes the following:

■ Original settings of the virtual machine when it was backed upShows the configuration of the virtual machine at the time of the backup.When you restore the virtual machine to its original location, theseconfiguration settings are used and cannot be changed.When you restore to an alternate location (not to the original location), youcan change these settings after you click Next.

■ Recover virtual machine to


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Select Original location or Alternate location.

Recovery Options dialog boxSelect the recovery host and transport mode, as follows:

■ Destination settingShows the configuration of the virtual machine at the time of backup. Thesesettings are applied to the virtual machine when it is restored.

■ NetBackup Recovery HostThe host that performs the recovery. The default is the host that performedthe backup (the backup host).In most cases, you can use the host that performed the backup. Selecting adifferent host as the recovery host can result in a slow restore or a failedrestore, depending on the transport mode. For example, if the host thatperformed the backup used a SAN connection to access the datastore, but thehost you select as recovery host does not have SAN access to the datastore,the restore fails if you select the SAN transport mode.

■ Transport ModesDetermines how the restore data is sent from the recovery host to the VMwaredatastore. The appropriate option depends in part on the type of network thatconnects the VMware datastore to the recovery host.The default is the type that the backup used.

For unencrypted transfer over Fibre Channel (SAN) or iSCSI.san

For unencrypted transfer over a local network that uses the NetworkBlock Device (NBD) driver protocol. This mode of transfer is usuallyslower than Fibre Channel.

nbd

For encrypted transfer (SSL) over a local network that uses the NetworkBlock Device (NBD) driver protocol. This mode of transfer is usuallyslower than Fibre Channel.

nbdssl

Requires that the recovery host is in a virtual machine. This featurerequires ESX 3.5 Update2 or later.

For instructions on this transport mode and on installing the recoveryhost in a VMware virtual machine, refer to your VMwaredocumentation.

hotadd


Use these buttons to change the order in which NetBackup tries eachselected mode. Highlight a mode and click Move Up or Move Down.

For example: Assume that all four transport modes are selected, andthe order is san, hotadd, nbd, and nbdssl. If one of the virtual diskscannot be accessed using san, the san transport mode is not used forany of the virtual machine’s disks. NetBackup then tries to use thehotadd mode for all the disks. NetBackup continues to try each modeuntil it finds one that succeeds for all the disks.

Move Up,Move Down

Virtual Machine Options dialog boxVirtual Machine Options:

■ Restore UUID xxx instead of creating a new UUIDRetains the UUID of the original virtual machine (note that the UUID is aglobally unique identifier). The virtual machine is restored with the same UUIDthat it had before the restore.

Note the following:

■ If a virtual machine with the same display name but with a different UUIDexists at the target restore location, the restore fails. You must either deletethe existing virtual machine and run the restore, or keep the existing virtualmachine and abandon the attempt to restore.

■ If you do not want to keep the existing virtual machine, you can do one ofthe following: Remove the existing virtual machine, or log into the ESXserver and remove the directory where the virtual machine resides.

■ Overwrite the existing virtual machineIf a virtual machine with the same display name exists at the destination, thatvirtual machine must be deleted before the restore begins. Otherwise, therestore fails. Select this option to have the virtual machine deleted.

■ Remove backing information for devices like DVD/CD-ROM drives, serialor parallel portsIf a virtual machine had an iso file that was mounted on a CD when the virtualmachine was backed up, note: the iso file must be available on the target ESXserver when you restore the virtual machine. If the iso file is not available onthe ESX server, the restore fails.This option restores the virtual machine without restoring an iso file that wasmounted when the virtual machine was backed up.

■ Remove network interfaces


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Removes any network interfaces from the restored virtual machine. Selectthis option if the network connections on the destination virtual machine havechanged since the backup was made.

■ Power on virtual machine after recoverySelect this option to have the recovered virtual machine automatically poweredon when the recovery is complete.

■ Override default job priorityPlace a check mark in this box to override the default priority.

■ Job PriorityUse this field to set a higher priority.

■ Restore storage DRS configurationIf the virtual machine resided in a datastore cluster and was configured withVMware DRS, this option restores the DRS configuration. If this option is notselected, the DRS configuration is not restored. (Examples of DRS configurationare vmdk affinity rules and anti-affinity rules.)If the virtual machine was not in a datastore cluster and was not configuredwith VMware DRS, this option is grayed out.

■ Allow partial configuration updateAllows some of the DRS configuration to be restored even if other portions ofthat configuration cannot be restored.If problems exist with portions of the DRS configuration and this option is notenabled, NetBackup does not restore any of the DRS configuration.

■ Retain original hardware versionThis option restores the virtual machine with its original hardware version(such as 4). It retains the original version even if the target ESX server bydefault uses a later hardware version (such as 7 or 8).If this option is disabled, the restored virtual machine is converted to thedefault hardware version that the ESX server uses.If the virtual machine is hardware version 7 or 8 and you restore to a vSpherepre-4.0 server, note: The restore fails if you enable this option. If you disablethis option, the restore succeeds if VMware Tools is able to convert the virtualmachine's hardware version to an earlier version.

Format of restored virtual disks:

■ Original provisioningRestores the virtual machine's virtual disks with their original provisioning.

■ Thick Provision Lazy Zeroed


Configures the restored virtual disks in the thick format. The virtual disk spaceis allocated when the disk is created. This option restores the populated blocks,but initializes vacant blocks with zeros later, on demand.

■ Thick Provision Eager ZeroedConfigures the restored virtual disks in the thick format. Restores the populatedblocks and immediately initializes vacant blocks with zeros (eager zeroed).Creation of the virtual disks may take more time with this option. However, ifthe restore occurs over a SAN, the eager zeroed feature may speed up therestore by reducing network communication with the vCenter server.

■ Thin ProvisioningConfigures the restored virtual disks in the thin format. Restores the populatedblocks but does not initialize vacant blocks or commit them.Thin provisioning saves disk space through dynamic growth of the vmdk file.The vmdk files are no larger than the space that the data on the virtual machinerequires. The virtual disks automatically increase in size as needed.Refer to the following Symantec document for more support details on thinprovisioned disks:Support for NetBackup 7.x in virtual environmentsFor more information on virtual disk provisioning, refer to VMware'sdocumentation.

Perform Recovery dialog boxReview the settings that are to be applied to the restored virtual machine.

■ Recovery settingsLists several settings that are used for the recovery.

■ Run Pre-Recovery CheckClick this option to verify credentials, available space on the datastore, andother important requirements.

■ Start RecoveryStarts the recovery of the virtual machine.

Virtual Machine Recovery dialogs boxes (restore to alternate location)If NetBackup used vStorage to back up the virtual machine, the Virtual MachineRecovery dialog boxes appear when you start the restore.

Recovery Destination dialog box (restore to alternate location)■ Original settings of the virtual machine when it was backed up


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Shows the configuration of the virtual machine at the time of the backup.When restoring to an alternate location (not to the original location), you canchange these settings after you click Next.

■ Recover virtual machine toSelect Alternate location.

Recovery Options dialog box (restore to alternate location)The Recovery Options dialog initially displays the original virtual machine settingsthat were recorded in the NetBackup catalog when the virtual machine was backedup. Before accepting any default values, you may have to verify that the originalhosts or servers are still available.

The dialog contains the following fields:

■ NetBackup Recovery HostThe recovery host transfers the virtual machine files to the VMware destinationthat is specified in other fields on this dialog. The default for the recovery hostis the backup host that backed up the virtual machine.

Consider the following when selecting a recovery host:

■ To use the original VMware backup host for the recovery, verify that thebackup host still exists. The original backup host may have been removedor reconfigured after the backup occurred.

■ The current processing load on the host that you want to use may be afactor. The recovery host undergoes significant I/O activity when it restoresa virtual machine.

■ The network connection between the recovery host and the destinationdatastore may limit the type and speed of data transmission. For example,to use the SAN transport mode, the recovery host must have access to theappropriate luns in the datastore.

■ Transport ModesDetermines how the data is sent from the recovery host to the VMwaredatastore. The appropriate mode depends on the type of connection betweenthe NetBackup recovery host and the VMware datastore.More information is available about these options.See “Recovery Options dialog box” on page 131.

■ vCenter ServerSpecifies the vCenter server for the restored virtual machine. To use theoriginal vCenter Server (the default), verify that the original vCenter serverstill exists.


To use a different vCenter Server, consider whether it is compatible with thevirtual machine you want to restore. For example: If you attempt to restore avmx-07 virtual machine to a vSphere server that is earlier than 4.0, note:VMware Tools converts the virtual machine to an earlier hardware version.In other cases, you can use the Retain original hardware version option onthe Virtual Machine Options dialog.The restore may finish faster if you use the SAN transport mode with a restoreESX server (bypassing any vCenter servers).

When choosing a target host for the restore, note the following:

■ If NetBackup has credentials to access a vCenter server (but does not havecredentials to access a VMware restore ESX server), note: You can restorethe virtual machine through the vCenter server. In this case, the datamovement for the restore passes through the vCenter server. Passing thevirtual machine data through the vCenter server may increase the amountof time that is needed to complete the restore.The credentials must give NetBackup full access privileges to the vCenterserver.See “Adding NetBackup credentials for VMware” on page 40.

■ If NetBackup has credentials to access a vCenter server as well as a VMwarerestore ESX server, the restore may complete faster. In this case, by defaultNetBackup passes the virtual machine data directly to the restore ESXserver, bypassing the vCenter server. You can select a vCenter folder inwhich to place the restored virtual machine.The credentials must give NetBackup full access privileges to the restoreESX server.

■ If NetBackup has credentials to access an ESX server, you can designatethat server as the target for the restore. The credentials must giveNetBackup full access privileges to the ESX server.Select None for the vCenter Server, and click Search to select the ESXserver.

Note:Due to VMware limitations, NetBackup cannot restore a vStorage virtualmachine backup directly to an ESX server that is earlier than version 3.5.

■ ESX ServerSpecifies the ESX server on which the restored virtual machine is to reside.To use the original ESX server (the default), verify that the original ESX serverstill exists.Click the Search option to browse for a different ESX server.See “Select ESX server dialog box (restore to alternate location)” on page 138.


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■ DatacenterShows the VMware datacenter containing the selected ESX server.

■ FolderA folder is a logical entity within the vCenter that contains VMware objects,such as datastores, networks, and virtual machines.By default, this field shows the VMware folder that contained the virtualmachine when the virtual machine was backed up. If you select a different ESXserver to which to restore the virtual machine, this field changes to None. Youmust then click Browse to select a folder within the datacenter for the restoredvirtual machine.See “Select Folder dialog box (restore to alternate location)” on page 138.

■ Display NameSpecifies the VMware display name for the restored virtual machine. Thedefault is the display name that the virtual machine had when it was backedup.The display name must be unique for the vCenter Server where the virtualmachine is restored.

Note: If a virtual machine with this display name already exists at this location(or at the original location), you are prompted to click Overwrite the existingvirtual machine. You cannot restore the virtual machine if the result is twovirtual machines with the same display name on the same vCenter server.

■ Resource Pool/vAppUse this option to have the restored virtual machine assigned to either aVMware resource pool or to a vApp. Resource pools manage the host's CPUand memory. vApps are logical containers for virtual machines, and also sharesome functionality with virtual machines.

■ Datastore/Datastore ClusterSpecifies the VMware datastore or datastore cluster that contains the virtualmachine configuration files. Click Change to make a selection.This datastore (sometimes called the vmx directory) contains the configurationfiles that describe the virtual machine, such as *.vmx files. Active snapshotsof vmdk files are also stored on this datastore.


Note: The Datastore field shows the name of the datastore that contained thevirtual machine data when the virtual machine was backed up. Even if thedatastore was in a datastore cluster, the field shows the name of the datastore,not the datastore cluster. When the virtual machine is restored, NetBackupdetermines how the datastore is currently configured (in a cluster or not) andconfigures the virtual machine accordingly.

■ Use the same datastore/datastore cluster for all VMDKsThis option assigns all restored virtual machines to the datastore or datastorecluster that is selected in the Datastore/Datastore Cluster field.If this option is not selected, you assign the VMDKs to specific datastores ordatastore clusters in a later dialog (the Storage Destination dialog).

Select ESX server dialog box (restore to alternate location)On the SelectESXserver dialog, you can enter the name of the ESX server or drilldown in the list to select a server.

■ Specify ESX serverEnter the name of the ESX server in this field. As you type a name, the list ofavailable servers automatically expands and the nearest match is highlighted.

■ SearchIf necessary, click Search to locate the server name that you typed.

Note: Some older ESX servers may not support the version of the virtualmachine that you want to restore. Verify that the ESX server is compatiblewith the virtual machine.

Select Folder dialog box (restore to alternate location)The Select Folder dialog shows the vCenter folders that exist on the datacenterthat is shown in the Datacenter field.

Pick a folder from the list of available folders. The restored virtual machine isplaced in this folder.

If two datacenters of the same name exist in the vCenter server, all folders for theidentically named datacenters are displayed. After you select a folder and clickOK, verify that the folder on the RecoveryOptions dialog contains the destinationESX server. If the selected folder is on the wrong datacenter, the restore fails.


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Select Datastore or Datastore Cluster dialog box (restore toalternate location)Use this screen to select a datastore or datastore cluster for the restored virtualmachine. You can use the search field, or drill down manually into the list.

Note: Only datastores and clusters visible to the ESX server are displayed.

Search

As you type a name, the list of available datastores and datastore clustersautomatically expands and the nearest match is highlighted.

Virtual Machine Options dialog box (restore to alternatelocation)This dialog is described in a previous topic:

See “Virtual Machine Options dialog box” on page 132.

Storage Destination dialog box (restore to alternate location)Select the datastores where the .vmdk files are to be restored.

■ Source VMDK File NameShows the names of the virtual machine .vmdk files that were backed up.

■ Datastore/Datastore ClusterShows the VMware datastore or datastore cluster where the .vmdk files are tobe restored. Click in this field to select another datastore.See “Select Datastore or Datastore Cluster dialog box (restore to alternatelocation)” on page 139.If the datastore is in a datastore cluster, NetBackup displays the name of thedatastore (not the name of the cluster).

■ Datastore/Datastore Cluster StatusIndicates whether the datastore or datastore cluster has enough space tocontain the selected .vmdk file.

The datastore or datastore cluster has enough space tocontain the selected .vmdk file.

OK

The datastore or datastore cluster does not have enoughspace to contain the selected .vmdk file.

Insufficient space


Network Connections and other options dialog box (restore toalternate location)■ Select all network names

This box selects or unselects all the networks that are listed under NetworkNames. If a network is selected, the restored virtual machine is automaticallyconnected to that network.Place a check mark in this box if you want to select all network connectionsfor the restored virtual machine.

■ Network NamesSelect the networks that you want the restored virtual machine to be connectedto. Note that virtual networks are displayed in addition to physical networks.When the virtual machine is backed up, its network connections (physical orvirtual) are recorded in the NetBackup catalog.

For the restore, NetBackup determines what networks currently exist, andlists the network names as follows:

■ If a network that was recorded in the backup catalog for the virtual machinestill exists, it is listed on this screen and automatically selected.

■ If a network is available that was not listed in the NetBackup catalog, it islisted on this screen but not selected.

■ If a network was recorded in the backup catalog but is not currentlyavailable, it is not listed.

Perform Recovery dialog box (restore to alternate location)■ Recovery settings

Lists the settings that are used for the recovery.

■ Run Pre-Recovery CheckVerifies the credentials and appropriate paths and connectivity, determineswhether the datastore or datastore cluster has available space, and reviewsother important requirements. You must run this check at least once. You canproceed with the restore even if the check fails.

■ Start RecoveryStarts the recovery of the virtual machine.

About restore of the virtual machine from a VCB backupTo restore a virtual machine from a NetBackup backup that was made with VCB,restore all virtual machine files to the VMware recovery host. The recovery host


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is used as a staging host. You must use this approach if NetBackup 6.5.x made thebackup.

After you restore the virtual machine files to the VMware recovery host, do oneof the following:

■ Use VMware automated restoreNetBackup integrates with VMware vCenter Converter to restore the virtualmachine to a designated ESX server. The virtual machine files are then removedfrom the staging host.See “Restore Marked Files dialog box (VMware with VCB)” on page 141.Certain compatibility issues exist between newer and older versions of VMwareESX server and VMware Converter. Refer to the Support for NetBackup 7.x invirtual environments tech note for more information:http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH127089See “Restore notes and restrictions” on page 123.

■ Use the VMware Converter application to restore the virtual machine fromthe staging host to the virtual machine server.

Restore Marked Files dialog box (VMware with VCB)If the backup was made with VCB, the RestoreMarkedFiles dialog appears whenyou click Restore in the Backup, Archive, and Restore interface.



The Restore Options are as follows:

■ Restore all virtual machine files to a virtual machine server automaticallyusing VMware ConverterRestores all virtual machine files to the staging area that you specify on thisdialog box. NetBackup then issues a VMware-provided script to restore thevirtual machine to the virtual machine server you specify. After the restore iscomplete, the restored virtual machine is powered off. The virtual machinefiles are then removed from the staging machine.If the virtual machine display name already exists on the Virtual machineserver, the restore fails.Note the following options:


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Retains the UUID of the original virtual machine (note that theUUID is a globally unique identifier). The virtual machine isrestored with the same UUID that it had before the restore. Thisoption requires that the previous virtual machine (the one thatwas backed up) has been deleted, so that the UUID is free.

Note: If the UUID exists, the restore fails.

The default (no identify restore) makes sure that the displayname of the new virtual machine (created by the restore) doesnot already exist. The virtual machine that the restore createsis given a new UUID.

Perform identityrestore to restoreUUID (UniversalUnique Identifier)

Verifies that the virtual machine that the restore creates doesnot have the same IP address as the virtual machine that wasbacked up. The network information is deleted at the time ofthe restore.

The default is to retain the IP information. Use the default if:

■ You have already deleted the virtual machine that was backedup, and

■ You want the restored virtual machine to keep the same IPinformation as the original virtual machine.

Strip networkinformation fromthe virtual machinethat has beenrestored

Does not restore hardware backing information from the originalimage. Default settings are substituted.

Remove backinginformation fordevices likeDVD/CD-ROMdrives, serial orparallel ports

■ Restore all virtual machine files to the staging machineRestores all virtual machine files to the staging host. NetBackup does notrestore the files to the virtual machine server. If not restoring to the originallocation, you can use the VMware Converter to restore the virtual machinefrom the staging host to the Virtual machine server.See your VMware documentation.

The Restore Destination Choices are as follows:

■ Virtual machine serverBy default, this field shows the server that was stored in the backup imageinformation. You can use that server as the restore destination, or enter adifferent virtual machine server as the destination.

■ Staging machine for restorationSelect or enter the recovery host to which the VMware files are temporarilyrestored. If you chose Restore all virtual machine files to a virtual machine


server automatically using VMware Converter, the files are restored to theVirtual machine server and deleted from this staging server.The default is the backup host that was used for the backup. The name of thatbackup host is stored in the backup image information. On this dialog box, thepull-down list for staging hosts includes the VMware backup hosts that aredefined in existing NetBackup policies.Restore staging locationEnter a Windows file path on the staging host to which the virtual machinefiles are temporarily restored. The default is the VMware backup host mountpoint that was stored in the backup image information.

The Override default priority options are the following:

■ Override default priorityPlace a check mark in this box to override the default priority.

■ Job priorityUse this field to set a higher priority.

About restore of individual filesYou can use either of the following procedures to restore files individually.

Restore individual files to the virtual machine by restoring to therecovery host. The virtual machine drives that are the destinationfor the restore must be configured in one of the following ways:

■ Windows only: The virtual machine drives must be sharedthrough the guest operating system on the virtual machine.

See “Setting up NetBackup Client Service for restore to aWindows shared virtual machine drive” on page 146.

■ NetBackup client software must be installed on the VMwarevirtual machine.

One-stage process

Restore individual files from the VMware recovery host to aNetBackup client (not to the virtual machine). See the NetBackupBackup,Archive,andRestoreGettingStartedGuideon how to restoreto different locations.

Then manually copy the restored files to the virtual machine.(NetBackup does not perform this step.)

Two-stage process

Note: Individual file recovery is supported from full backups and from incrementalbackups, as long as the Enable file recovery from VM backup policy option isenabled.

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Restoring individual filesIf the VMware backup was made with the Enable file recovery from VM backupoption, you can restore individual files.

See “Optimizations options (VMware)” on page 52.

To restore individual files

1 In the NetBackup Backup, Archive, and Restore interface, specify the sourceclient and destination client and the type of policy:

For UNIX systems, on the Restore Files tab, click the Restore icon:

For Windows systems, click Files>SpecifyNetBackupMachinesandPolicyType.

2 Specify the following:

The NetBackup master server that directed the backup.Server to use forbackupandrestores

The VMware virtual machine that was backed up.

Enter the type of name that was selected for the Primary VMidentifier option on the policy VMware tab. For example, ifthe PrimaryVMidentifier option is set to VM host name, enterthe virtual machine's host name.

Source client forrestores

Specify one of the following:

■ The host name of the VMware virtual machine that wasbacked up, if NetBackup client software has been installedon the virtual machine.

Specify the host name even if the policy identified thevirtual machine by its VMware display name, UUID, or DNSname. Do not enter the VMware display name, UUID, orDNS name.

■ The NetBackup recovery host.

Note: The NetBackup Client Service must be logged on asAdministrator.

See “Setting up NetBackup Client Service for restore to aWindows shared virtual machine drive” on page 146.

Destination clientfor restores

145Restore virtual machinesRestoring individual files

The type of policy that made the backup.Policy type forrestores

3 Select the type of restore, as follows:

■ For UNIX systems, on the Restore Files tab, select Normal Backups.

■ For Windows systems, click Files > Select Files and Folders to Restore >from Normal Backup

4 For UNIX systems enter the Browse directory that contains the directoriesor files to restore.

See “About restore of individual files” on page 144.

5 Click the files you want to restore.

6 Start the restore, as follows:

■ On UNIX systems: Click Restore.

■ On Windows systems: Click Actions > Restore....

7 For Windows systems, if NetBackup client software is not installed on thedestination virtual machine, select one of the following:

■ Restore everything to a different location

■ Restore individual folders and files to different locationsDestinations must be entered as UNC path names that refer to shareddrives on the virtual machine.

For example, to restore the file E:\folder1\file1 on virtual machine vm1,enter the following destination:

\\vm1\e$\folder1\file1

The NetBackup Client Service must be logged on under an account that hasAdministrator privileges.

See “Setting up NetBackup Client Service for restore to a Windows sharedvirtual machine drive” on page 146.


Setting up NetBackup Client Service for restore to a Windows sharedvirtual machine drive

To restore individual files to a Windows virtual machine that has a shared drive,note: the NetBackup Client Service must be logged on under an account that has

Restore virtual machinesRestoring individual files

146

Administrator privileges (not as the Local System account). An account withAdministrator privileges lets NetBackup write to the directories on the virtualmachine to which the data is restored.

If you try to restore files while the NetBackup Client Service is logged on as theLocal System account, the restore fails.

To log on the NetBackup Client Service as Administrator

1 In Windows Services on the VMware recovery host, double-click theNetBackup Client Service.

2 Check the Log On tab: if the service is not logged on under an account thathas Administrator privileges, stop the service.

3 Change the logon to the Administrator account, or to an account that hasAdministrator privileges.

The account must have Administrator privileges in the domain in which boththe virtual machine and the VMware backup host reside.

4 Restart the service.

5 Retry the restore.

About the NetBackup.lost+found directory on Linux

Note: You can ignore this section if: you have installed the SYMCquiesce utilityon your virtual machines, and your virtual machines meet the requirements forthe SYMCquiesce utility.

See “About the SYMCquiesce utility” on page 179.

See “Installing the SYMCquiesce utility” on page 180.

Without the SYMCquiesce utility, a snapshot of a Linux virtual machine may bein an inconsistent state (sometimes called crash-consistent). In other words, thesnapshot data is equivalent to the state of a file system after an abrupt,uncontrolled shutdown. When the virtual machine is restarted, a file systemconsistency check (fsck) reports inconsistencies that need repair.

To handle inconsistent data from backups of crash-consistent Linux virtualmachine snapshots, NetBackup creates a NetBackup.lost+found directory foreach Linux volume. This directory is not a physical directory on the volume buta virtual directory in the NetBackup catalog. Any inconsistent directories or filesare linked to the NetBackup.lost+found directory. The names of the inconsistentdirectories and files cannot be determined: the items in the NetBackup.lost+found

147Restore virtual machinesAbout the NetBackup.lost+found directory on Linux

directory are therefore assigned the names that represent the inode numbers ofthe original directories or files.

If a NetBackup.lost+found directory already exists on the virtual machine,NetBackup appends numbers to the new NetBackup.lost+found directory names,to keep them unique. The directories are named NetBackup.lost+found.1,NetBackup.lost+found.2, and so forth.

Note: The NetBackup.lost+found directory is not the same as the standard Linuxlost+found directory that Linux maintains in case of an abnormal systemshutdown.

The following Backup, Archive, and Restore screen shows examples of inconsistentdirectories and files in a NetBackup.lost+found directory. This example also showsthe standard Linux lost+found.

In the NetBackup Backup, Archive, and Restore interface, you can search theNetBackup.lost+found directory for any inconsistent items and restore them.Symantec recommends that you restore them to an alternate location (not to theoriginal virtual machine). You can then examine their contents to determine theiroriginal names. Any metadata that was captured at the time of the backup maybe helpful in identifying the inconsistent files or directories. Examples of suchmetadata are file size, file owner, and file creation and modification dates.

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148

If the recovery host is not at the same NetBackuprelease level as the backup host

Note the following about mixed-level backups and restores:

■ To restore from a NetBackup 7.x backupTo restore a virtual machine from a backup that a NetBackup 7.x backup hostperformed, a NetBackup 7.x recovery host is required. You cannot use aNetBackup 6.5.x recovery host to restore a virtual machine that was backedup by a NetBackup 7.x backup host.

■ To restore from a NetBackup 6.5.x backupTo restore a virtual machine (or selected files) from a NetBackup 6.5.x backup,the VMware Converter must be installed on the NetBackup recovery host. Therecovery host can run NetBackup 6.5.x or 7.x. A staging area is required.

149Restore virtual machinesIf the recovery host is not at the same NetBackup release level as the backup host

Restore virtual machinesIf the recovery host is not at the same NetBackup release level as the backup host

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Best practices and moreinformation


■ NetBackup for VMware best practices

■ More information on VMware

■ Further assistance with NetBackup for VMware

NetBackup for VMware best practicesThe following are best practices for NetBackup for VMware:

■ For a more efficient backup, the NetBackup media server and the VMwarebackup host should be installed on the same host.

■ When creating virtual machines, use the same name for both host name anddisplay name. If the policy's Primary VM identifier option is changed, theexisting entries on the policy Clients tab still work.

■ VMware recommends that you run no more than four simultaneous backupsof virtual machines that reside on the same datastore.

■ Successful VMware snapshots depend on the following:

■ The amount of I/O that occurs on the virtual machine datastore. Backupsshould be scheduled when relatively little I/O activity is expected. Reducingthe number of simultaneous backups can also help.Limit access to the datastore per policy: Use the Limit jobs per policyattribute in the NetBackup policy.Limit access to the datastore globally (across all policies): Use the HostProperties Resource Limit screen.

10Chapter


■ The design of the I/O substructure that is associated with each virtualmachine datastore. For correct I/O design and implementation, consultyour VMware documentation.

■ Make sure that the VMware backup host has enough memory to handle thenumber of simultaneous backups that occur.

■ Include in a single NetBackup policy those virtual machines that use the samedatastore. This practice lets you control the amount of backup-related I/O thatoccurs per datastore, to limit the backup effect on the target virtual machines.

■ NetBackup supports multiple backup hosts. When a single backup host issaturated with a backup process, another backup host can be added to increasebackup throughput.

■ Upgrade to the latest version of VMware vSphere or Virtual Infrastructure.

■ See the Symantec white paper titled NetBackup for VMware Best PracticesGuide.

NetBackup for VMware with deduplicationFor a VMware backup to a deduplication storage unit, select the Enable filerecoveryfromVMbackup option on the VMware policy tab. This option providesthe best deduplication rates. Without the Enable file recovery from VM backupoption, the result is a lower rate of deduplication.

More information is available on the VMware options.


More information on VMwareVMware Inc. provides an extensive set of manuals on VMware products.

http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/

Best practices and more informationMore information on VMware

152

Further assistance with NetBackup for VMwareTable 10-1 Sources of information on NetBackup for VMware

SourceTopic

Refer to the NetBackup Snapshot Client Administrator's Guide.The guide contains installation and configuration instructionson Snapshot Client.

Snapshot Clientconfiguration

Refer to the NetBackup 7 Snapshot Client Compatibilitydocument:


list of all supportedcombinations ofplatforms and snapshotmethods

Up-to-date information on NetBackup support in a virtualenvironment is available in the following tech note:

Support for NetBackup 7.x in a virtual environment


This tech note provides a wide range of support information,such as a list of supported guest operating systems, file systems,and required VMware components.

Support information onNetBackup for VMware

153Best practices and more informationFurther assistance with NetBackup for VMware

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH126901


Best practices and more informationFurther assistance with NetBackup for VMware

154

Troubleshooting


■ NetBackup logging for VMware

■ VMware environment—important!

■ Preventing browsing delays caused by DNS problems

■ Changing the browsing timeout for virtual machine discovery

■ Changing timeout and logging values for vSphere

■ Notes on troubleshooting NetBackup for VMware

■ Credentials for VMware server are not valid

■ NetBackup status codes related to VMware

■ Snapshot error encountered (status code 156)

■ The restore fails when you restore individual files to a virtual machine thathas NetBackup client software

■ The restore fails if ESX servers use short host names and backups and restoresuse a vCenter server

■ Backup or restore job hangs

■ Mount point missing on a restored Windows virtual machine

■ Mount points not available when restoring files from a Linux virtual machine

■ Remove the Consolidate Helper snapshot

■ NetBackup catalog information for virtual machine backups made by 6.5.4 orearlier may prevent browsing the imported images for restore

11Chapter

■ Invalid client error when you restore files using NetBackup BAR interfaceinstalled on the virtual machine

■ VMware virtual machine does not restart after restore

NetBackup logging for VMwareFor log messages about VMware backup or VMware restore, see the followingNetBackup log directories.

Table 11-1 NetBackup logs that pertain to VMware backup and restore

Resides onContains the messageson

Log directory

NetBackup master or media serverBackup and restoreinstall_path\NetBackup\logs\bpbrm

NetBackup media serverBackup and restoreinstall_path\NetBackup\logs\bptm

VMware backup hostSnapshot creation andbackup

install_path\NetBackup\logs\bpfis

VMware backup hostSnapshot creation andbackup

install_path\NetBackup\logs\bpcd

VMware backup hostBackupinstall_path\NetBackup\logs\bpbkar

NetBackup master serverRestoreinstall_path\NetBackup\logs\bprd

VMware recovery hostRestoreinstall_path\NetBackup\logs\tar

VMware backup or recovery hostPolicy configuration and onrestore

install_path\NetBackup\logs\bpVMutil

The client where the Backup, Archive,and Restore interface is running.

Restoreinstall_path\NetBackup\logs\bpVMreq

VMware backup hostPolicy configurationinstall_path\NetBackup\logs\nbproxy

VMware backup host.Automatic virtual machineselection

install_path\NetBackup\logs\ncfnbcs(originator ID 366)

ncfnbcs uses unified logging. See theNetBackup Troubleshooting Guide forinformation on how to use unified logs.

Note: Except for ncfnbcs, these log directories must already exist in order forlogging to occur. If these directories do not exist, create them.

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156

To create the log directories, run the following command on the NetBackup serversand backup host:

Windows:

install_path\NetBackup\logs\mklogdir.bat

UNIX (on master or media servers):

/opt/openv/netbackup/logs/mklogdir

More detail is available on snapshot logs and logging levels. See the NetBackupSnapshot Client Administrator’s Guide.

A broader discussion of NetBackup logging is available. See the NetBackupTroubleshooting Guide.

Other logs for troubleshooting NetBackup for VMwareThe following may also contain valuable backup information.

Table 11-2 Other logs for VMware

Resides onContains themessages onLog directory

VMware backup host

See “Enabling VxMS loggingfor NetBackup for VMware”on page 157.

Note: The use of VxMSlogging can reduce theperformance of the backuphost.

File mapping during backup\Program Files\CommonFiles\VERITAS\VxMS\Logs

More information is available on VxMS logging:


Enabling VxMS logging for NetBackup for VMwareVxMS logging may require significant resources on the VMware backup host.

To enable VxMS logging



157TroubleshootingNetBackup logging for VMware


3 Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Veritas > VxMS.

4 Change the LoggingDWORD value to 7580 in hexadecimal. The value appearsin the Registry as 0x00007580 (30080).

The next time VxMS is run, it creates a log (for exampleVxMS-1832-MMDDYY.log). The log is in \Program Files\CommonFiles\VERITAS\VxMS\Logs. The Logs directory is created automatically if itdoes not exist.

VMware environment—important!Unsupported equipment can cause many problems. Ensure that your VMwareenvironment (including ESX servers, SAN devices, and backup host) conforms toall requirements and recommendations that are spelled out by VMware. Forinstance, if VMware does not support your HBAs, device drivers, or guest operatingsystems, NetBackup cannot work.

For support details, see VMware documentation at the VMware support site (forexample, the VMware compatibility guides).

Preventing browsing delays causedbyDNSproblemsNetBackup may be unable to identify virtual machines when you use the Browsefor Virtual Machines dialog. Virtual machine host names may not be properlyconfigured in your Domain Name Server system (DNS), or the DNS system maybe slow. A timeout message may appear, or messages similar to the following mayappear in the NetBackup detailed status log:

17:25:37.319 [12452.10360] get_vSphere_VMs: Processing vm 002-wcms

17:25:37.319 [12452.10360] get_vSphere_VMs: uuid

421a8b46-063d-f4bd-e674-9ad3707ee036

17:25:37.319 [12452.10360] get_vSphere_VMs: vmxdir [san-05] 002-wcms/

17:25:37.319 [12452.10360] get_vSphere_VMs: datastore san-05

17:25:37.319 [12452.10360] get_vSphere_VMs: IpAddress 172.15.6.133

17:25:41.866 [12452.10360] get_vSphere_VMs: retry_gethostbyaddr for

172.15.6.133 failed with The requested name is valid, but no data of

the requested type was found.

Note: NetBackup may be unable to determine the host names of the virtualmachines from their IP addresses (reverse lookup may fail).

TroubleshootingVMware environment—important!

158

To prevent browsing delays caused by DNS problems



3 Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Veritas > NetBackup >CurrentVersion > Config and create a key that is called BACKUP.

4 Create a new DWORD under BACKUP, called disableIPResolution.

This registry key causes NetBackup to use the virtual machine's IP addressas the virtual machine's host name.

5 Use the NetBackup Browse for Virtual Machines screen to rediscover thevirtual machines to show the host names set to the IP addresses.


Changing the browsing timeout for virtual machinediscovery

In the NetBackup Administration Console on Windows, you can adjust the timeavailable for browsing for virtual machines in the NetBackup policy.

To change the browsing timeout value

1 In the NetBackup Administration Console on Windows, click on Policies.

2 From the main menu, click View > Options, then click the Policies tab.

3 Adjust the VMware connect timeout value.

4 Click OK.

Changing timeout and logging values for vSphereThe following are vSphere registry keys and their default values for varioustimeouts.

Table 11-3 Registry keys and defaults for vSphere timeouts

Default value (in seconds)DWORD registry key name

900jobtimeout

900poweroptimeout

159TroubleshootingChanging the browsing timeout for virtual machine discovery

Table 11-3 Registry keys and defaults for vSphere timeouts (continued)

Default value (in seconds)DWORD registry key name

900snapshottimeout

180registertimeout

180browsetimeout

300connecttimeout

The registry key and default for the vSphere API logging level are the following.

Table 11-4 Registry key and default for vSphere API log level

Default valueDWORD registry key name

0 (no logging)vmcloglevel

To change vSphere timeouts and logging values



3 Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Veritas > NetBackup >CurrentVersion > CONFIG and create a key that is called BACKUP.

4 To change a timeout value, create a new DWORD under BACKUP, using theappropriate registry name (such as jobtimeout or poweroptimeout).

Enter a value for the timeout.

5 To change the level of vSphere API logging, create a new DWORD calledvmcloglevel and enter the new logging value.

The allowed values are 0 through 6, where 0 is no logging and 6 is the highestlog level.

Notes on troubleshooting NetBackup for VMwareNote the following:

■ Make sure that the VMware Tools are installed on each virtual machine.Otherwise, communication problems and other issues can result.

■ You cannot restore individual VMware files onto the virtual machine itself,except under certain conditions.

TroubleshootingNotes on troubleshooting NetBackup for VMware

160


■ NetBackup for VMware does not work with the VMware NetBackup IntegrationModule (VNIM).

Note the following:

■ If VNIM is installed, do not configure a NetBackup for VMware policy (withthe VMware snapshot method) to call any scripts that use VNIM. Such apolicy results in a backup that fails.

■ Do not run any NetBackup for VMware policy at the same time as ascript-based policy that calls VNIM. If the two policies require access tothe same virtual machine, a conflict may result and the backup may fail.

Credentials for VMware server are not validA number of issues can prevent NetBackup from gaining access to the ESX serveror vCenter server. When you add credentials for a VMware server (Add VirtualMachine Server dialog), NetBackup validates the credentials when you click OK.If the credentials do not pass validation, a pop-up message appears.

Problems can result for a variety of reasons, including the following:

■ An incorrect virtual machine server name. Make sure that the server name isentered correctly.More information is available about changing the server name that is storedin NetBackup.See “Changing the host name of a VMware server in NetBackup” on page 42.

■ An invalid user name or password. Make sure that a valid user name andpassword were entered correctly.

■ An incorrect port number. Make sure that the port number is correct on theNetBackup ChangeVirtualMachineServer dialog. If the VMware server usesthe default port, no port specification is required. You can uncheck the Connectusing port number box.

■ You do not have enough privileges to perform backups or restores. (Notehowever that lack of sufficient privileges may not cause the credentialvalidation to fail.)For general guidelines for permissions, see the following:http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH128513For the minimum permissions needed to back up and restore with vStorage,see the following:http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH130493


161TroubleshootingCredentials for VMware server are not valid



NetBackup status codes related to VMwareThis topic provides assistance for NetBackup status codes relating to NetBackupfor VMware.

Table 11-5 NetBackup status codes related to VMware

Explanation and recommended actionNetBackupstatus code

This error can occur for the following reasons:

■ The virtual machine and the alternate client virtual machine may contain too many disks. Ifthe total is too great for the alternate client SCSI controllers, a backup with the hotaddtransport mode fails. The following appears in the job status log: ERR - Error opening

the snapshot disks using given transport mode: Status 23.

Add more SCSI controllers to the alternate client virtual machine.

■ If the VMware backup host cannot access the datastore over the selected transport mode, thebackup fails. The detailed status log on the backup host may contain the following:

12/4/2009 1:12:34 PM - Error bpbrm(pid=21376) from client vm4: ERR -Error opening the snapshot disks using given transport mode: Status 23.

Select a different transport mode and retry the backup.

■ For the backups that use the hotadd transport mode: The backup host was unable to resolvethe host name of the ESX server. This error may occur if DNS is not correctly configured onthe virtual machine where the backup host is installed. On the virtual machine, you can enterthe IP address of the ESX server into the hosts file:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts

■ For the backups that use the hotadd transport mode: If the virtual machine to back up andthe virtual machine that contains the hotadd backup host do not reside in the same VMwaredatacenter, the backup fails. For a successful hotadd backup, the two virtual machines mustbe in the same VMware datacenter.

■ A previous hotadd backup of the virtual machine may have failed. Certain mount directoriesor cloned disks must be manually removed to allow hotadd backups to succeed, as follows:

■ During a hotadd backup, VMware creates a linked clone of the virtual machine's disks andattaches the cloned disks to the backup host. (The attached disks can be seen in the vSphereClient interface.) If a hotadd backup of the virtual machine fails, NetBackup may be unableto remove the cloned disks from the backup host. In the backup host, the presence of thecloned disks prevents subsequent backups from completing.

Remove the cloned disks from the VMware backup host and retry the backup.

■ During a virtual machine backup, VMware creates mount directories in theC:\Windows\Temp folder on the backup host. After the backup, VMware automaticallyremoves the mount directories. In some cases, such as when the backup uses the hotaddtransport mode, NetBackup may be unable to remove the mount directories.

Remove the mount directories from the \Temp folder and retry the backup. The foldername contains a string such as VMware-System.

6, the backupfailed to back upthe requestedfiles

TroubleshootingNetBackup status codes related to VMware

162

Table 11-5 NetBackup status codes related to VMware (continued)


For the Backup Media Server option, the storage unit that is specified in the policy must beunique to your Windows media servers. If the storage unit is also available on a UNIX mediaserver, the snapshot job cannot succeed.

20, invalidcommandparameter

A number of different issues can cause this error.

See “Snapshot error encountered (status code 156)” on page 165.

156, snapshoterrorencountered

To restore selected files (not the entire virtual machine) to the original location, you must specifythe host name of the virtual machine. Do not specify the display name or UUID as the destination.

227, no entitywas found

163TroubleshootingNetBackup status codes related to VMware

Table 11-5 NetBackup status codes related to VMware (continued)


A virtual machine restore may fail in the following cases:

■ If an .ISO file was presented to a virtual machine as a virtual CD or DVD during backup, note:The ISO file must be available on the destination host. If the ISO is not available on the hostwhere you restore the virtual machine, the restore fails. The vCenter interface may includethe message Invalid configuration for Device '1'.

■ The VMware restore host is on Windows Server 2008 but the SAN LUNs are offline.

The detailed status log that is in the NetBackup Activity Monitor includes the messageVirtualmachine restore: file write failed. If the restore host is on Windows Server 2008and you use the SAN transport mode, you must manually change the SAN LUNs to be online.

■ For restores that use the hotadd transport mode: If the virtual machine to restore and thevirtual machine that contains the hotadd restore host do not reside in the same VMwaredatacenter, the restore fails. For a successful hotadd restore, the two virtual machines mustbe in the same VMware datacenter.

■ For vStorage: The restore host cannot access the VMware datastore over the selected transportmode. The job log on the restore host may contain messages such as the following:

13:27:36 (19400.001) FTL - Virtual machine restore: VxMS initializationfailed

Select a different transport mode and retry the restore.

■ You attempted to restore a file that has a path name longer than 1023 characters.

Note that a backup of a Linux virtual machine backs up all files, including those with pathnames longer than 1023 characters. A restore of the entire Linux virtual machine recoversall files. But you cannot restore the long path-name files individually.

■ If the ESX servers are configured with short host names (not fully qualified), NetBackup maynot find the ESX server for the restore.

See “The restore fails if ESX servers use short host names and backups and restores use avCenter server” on page 166.

■ For the restore, the virtual machine's hardware version (such as 7) is later than the hardwareversion that the target server supports. If VMware Tools cannot convert the virtual machine'shardware version to an earlier version, the restore fails. Messages similar to the followingappear in the bpVMutil log:

09:18:51.717 [5472.4724] <2> createVMwareVM: Create virtual machinefailed for acmehost.com with 609:18:51.717 [5472.4724] <2> bpVMutil main: Create VMware VM failed09:18:51.717 [5472.4724] <2> bpVMutil main: EXIT STATUS 5: the restorefailed to recover the requested files

If possible, restore the virtual machine to a VMware server that supports the virtual machine'shardware version.

2817, 2820

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Snapshot error encountered (status code 156)The following table describes the VMware issues that relate to NetBackup statuscode 156.

Table 11-6 Possible causes of status code 156

Description and recommended actionCauses of status code156

NetBackup may not be able to obtain the volume ID of a drive. In that case, none of thevirtual machine drives are backed up. The backup fails with NetBackup status code 156.

The drive may be down.

NetBackup cannot obtainthe volume ID of a drive

You cannot run more than one backup per virtual machine at a time. If you start a secondbackup of the virtual machine while the first backup is active, the second job fails witha status 156.

Recommended action: Wait until the first job completes, then run the second one.

A backup of the virtualmachine is already active

NetBackup cannot find the host name or VMware display name of a virtual machine thatis listed in the backup policy. The detailed status log may include the following errormessage:

Critical bpbrm (pid=<pid number>) from client <client name>:FTL - snapshot creation failed, status 156.)

If the virtual machines do not have static IP addresses, you can configure NetBackup toidentify virtual machines by their VMware display names or UUIDs. Examples of theenvironments that do not use static IP addresses are clusters, and the networks thatassign IP addresses dynamically.

Note that NetBackup may have been configured to identify virtual machines by theirVMware display names. In that case, make sure that the display names are unique andthat they do not contain special characters.


Cannot find virtualmachine name

Through a vCenter server, NetBackup can back up the virtual machines that are poweredoff. You must provide credentials for NetBackup to access the vCenter server.


If NetBackup uses credentials for an ESX server instead of vCenter, it may not be able toidentify a powered off virtual machine. Note the following:

■ If the policy uses VM hostname or VM DNS name as the Primary VM identifier,NetBackup may not find the virtual machine. The backup fails.

■ If the policy uses VM display name or VM UUID as the Primary VM identifier,NetBackup can identify the virtual machine. The backup succeeds.

The virtual machine ispowered off

165TroubleshootingSnapshot error encountered (status code 156)

Table 11-6 Possible causes of status code 156 (continued)

Description and recommended actionCauses of status code156

The RDM is ignored (not backed up) and any independent disk is recreated but empty.

See “Configurations for backing up RDMs” on page 174.

The virtual machine diskis in raw mode (RDM)

If the attempt to create a snapshot of the virtual machine exceeds the VMware timeoutof 10 seconds, the snapshot fails with NetBackup status 156. This timeout may occur ifthe virtual machine is configured with a large number of volumes. Note that the timeoutmay be encountered even if the Virtual machine quiesce option was disabled.

Do one of the following:

■ Reduce the number of volumes within the virtual machine.

■ Install a NetBackup client on the virtual machine and select another backup methodfor the policy (not the VMware snapshot method).

The attempt to create asnapshot exceeded theVMware timeout

The snapshot fails if the virtual machine has no vmdk file.

This situation can occur in a VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager (SRM) environment.In an SRM environment, a replicated virtual machine in passive mode may have no vmdkfile. If NetBackup attempts to back up a replicated virtual machine that has no vmdk file,the snapshot fails.

You can enable the Ignore diskless VMs option on the VMware Advanced Attributestab of the policy. This option tells NetBackup not to attempt a backup of any virtualmachine that has no vmdk file.

The virtual machine hasno VMDK file assigned

The restore fails when you restore individual files toa virtualmachine that hasNetBackup client software

When you restore individual files to a virtual machine that has a NetBackup client,make sure that a firewall does not interfere with the restore. If a firewall stopsthe restore, turn off the firewall and retry the restore.

The restore fails if ESX servers use short host namesand backups and restores use a vCenter server

In the following case, the attempt to restore the virtual machine fails:

■ The ESX servers in your VMware environment are configured with short hostnames (not fully qualified), and

TroubleshootingThe restore fails when you restore individual files to a virtual machine that has NetBackup client software

166

■ The backup was performed through a vCenter server, not directly from an ESXserver, and

■ The restore is directed through a vCenter server, not directly to an ESX server.

In this case, NetBackup cannot find the ESX server for the restore. Restore of thevirtual machine fails, and the following message appears in the bpvmUtil log:

FAILED_TO_GET_MOR_BY_NAME

To restore virtual machines through a vCenter server in environments with shortESX host names



3 Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Veritas > NetBackup >CurrentVersion > Config and create a key that is named BACKUP.

4 Right-click in the right pane and click New > DWORD Value. EnterdisableFQDN as the name.

Backup or restore job hangsNetBackup may have exceeded the maximum number of allowed VMware NFCconnections to the ESX server when it used the transport modes nbd or nbdssl.Note that NetBackup uses one NFC connection per virtual disk on the ESX or ESXiserver.

If NetBackup is configured to access the ESX server directly (not through a vCenteror VirtualCenter server), fewer connections are allowed. The following are themaximum connections as set by VMware:

Table 11-7 VMware NFC connection limits for nbd or nbdssl transfers

Maximum NFCconnections allowed

Type of access to the ESXserver

ESX version

9Directly to ESX serverESX 3.5

27Through vCenterESX 3.5

9Directly to ESX serverESX 4

27Through vCenterESX 4

11Directly to ESX serverESXi 4

167TroubleshootingBackup or restore job hangs

Table 11-7 VMware NFC connection limits for nbd or nbdssl transfers(continued)

Maximum NFCconnections allowed

Type of access to the ESXserver

ESX version

23Through vCenterESXi 4

The maximum total for allNFC connection buffers to anESXi host is 32 MB

Directly to ESX serverESXi 5

52Through vCenterESXi 5

Try a different transport type (such as SAN or hotadd). If a different transporttype is not available and NetBackup accesses the ESX servers directly, set upaccess through a vCenter (or VirtualCenter) server. Use of a server increases themaximum number of allowed connections. For example: With 27 connections,NetBackup can access a virtual machine that has up to 27 disks, if the ESX 4 serveris behind a vCenter server.

Note that the connection limits are per-host (that is, per vCenter or ESX server).

For example, assume the following environment:

■ An ESX 4.0 server with three virtual machines.

■ Each virtual machine has 10 virtual disks.

■ The virtual machines are behind a vCenter 4.0 server.

For a simultaneous backup of the three virtual machines, NetBackup requires 30NFC connections. With a limit of 27 NFC connections per vCenter server, any ofthe three backup jobs may hang.

These limits are described in the VMware Virtual Disk API Programming Guide:

VMware Virtual Disk API Programming Guide

See also the following section of the VMware vSphere 5 Documentation Center:

Virtual Disk Transport Methods

Mount point missing on a restored Windows virtualmachine

A Windows virtual machine may fail to write its mount point configuration todisk (the mount point configuration remains in RAM). In that case, the mountpoint information cannot be backed up. When the virtual machine is restored,

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168

http://www.vmware.com/support/developer/vddk/vddk11_api_programming.pdf

http://pubs.vmware.com/vsphere-50/index.jsp?topic=/com.vmware.vddk.pg.doc_50/vddkDataStruct.5.5.html&path=5_4_0_2_3_1

the data from the mounted volume is restored, but the mount point is absent fromthe restored virtual machine.

Reassign the mount point on the restored virtual machine. To make sure themount point is correctly configured, restart the virtual machine.

Mount points not available when restoring files froma Linux virtual machine

For Linux virtual machines, only the ext2, ext3, and ext4 file systems are supportedfor individual file restore. If a partition is formatted with some other file system,the backup succeeds but NetBackup cannot map the file system addresses of thefiles. As a result, NetBackup cannot restore individual files from that partition.Only the files that were on ext2, ext3, or ext4 partitions can be individuallyrestored.

Note also: to restore individual files from their original mount points, the "/" (root)partition must be formatted as ext2, ext3, or ext4. If the "/" (root) partition isformatted with a different file system (such as ReiserFS), the mount points cannotbe resolved. In that case, you can restore ext2, ext3, or ext4 files from the /devlevel (such as /dev/sda1). You cannot restore the files from their original mountpoint level.

Remove the Consolidate Helper snapshotIf a datastore is out of space when you attempt to delete snapshots, VMwarecreates a snapshot named Consolidate Helper. You should manually delete thissnapshot before the next backup. Otherwise, change files may accumulate on thedatastore. The accumulation of such files can affect both the backup performanceand the I/O performance of the virtual machine.

For more information, see the following VMware knowledge base article aboutdeleting the Consolidate Helper snapshot:

http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1003302

NetBackup catalog information for virtual machinebackups made by 6.5.4 or earlier may preventbrowsing the imported images for restore

If you import a NetBackup 6.5.4 or earlier virtual machine backup image to aNetBackup 7.x system, note: the catalog header file of the imported image may

169TroubleshootingMount points not available when restoring files from a Linux virtual machine

http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1003302

have the wrong value for VM_TYPE. The value of the imported image may beincorrectly reported as 0 even for type 1 (Full VM) and type 2 (Mapped full VM)backups. As a result, you cannot use the Backup, Archive, and Restore interfaceto browse and restore the virtual machine image.

You must change the VM_TYPE value in the header file of the imported image tocorrect this problem. For the backups that were made with the Full VM backupoption, set VM_TYPE to 1. For the backups that were made with the Mapped fullVM backup option, set VM_TYPE to 2.

For instructions, see the following tech note:


Invalid client error when you restore files usingNetBackup BAR interface installed on the virtualmachine

If the virtual machine was backed up by display name or UUID, and the displayname is not the same as the host name, note: You cannot restore individual filesby means of the Backup, Archive, and Restore (BAR) interface if the interface isinstalled on the virtual machine itself. The files can be restored if BAR is installedon the master server or media server. In this case, BAR must not be installed onthe virtual machine that you want to restore to.

To restore files, the Destination client for restores field in the BAR interfacemust have a valid host name or IP address.

VMware virtualmachinedoesnot restart after restoreThe virtual machine may have had SCSI and IDE drives at the time of backup andthe guest OS resided on a SCSI drive. In that case, the virtual machine whenrestored may attempt to boot from the IDE drive. The boot attempt fails with themessage "Operating system not found." This problem occurs when NetBackupuses the VMware vStorage APIs.

VMware has identified this problem and will address it in a future release.

As a workaround, you can reconfigure the BIOS on the virtual machine to bootfrom the correct SCSI device.

TroubleshootingInvalid client error when you restore files using NetBackup BAR interface installed on the virtual machine

170

The Reuse VM selectionquery results option

This appendix includes the following topics:

■ About the Reuse VM selection query results option

About the Reuse VM selection query results optionThe NetBackup Test Query screen lists the virtual machines that NetBackupdiscovered in your virtual environment. Because the automatic selection featureis dynamic, later changes in the environment may affect which virtual machinesmatch the query rules. For example: if virtual machines are added, the test resultsmay not be identical to the virtual machines that are selected for backup whenthe backup runs.

NetBackup caches the current Test Query results for a designated period ratherthan rediscovering virtual machines at every backup. The option is called ReuseVM selection query results for. During the period you specify on this option,NetBackup reuses the current list of virtual machines as the backup list. It doesnot consult the query builder or rediscover virtual machines.

The less often your virtual machine environment undergoes changes, the moreadvantageous it may be to reuse the cached list of virtual machines for backups.Note that in large environments, discovery of virtual machines takes time andconsumes resources on the vCenter server.

Note the following about the Reuse VM selection query results option:

■ Determines how long the query results are reused (that is, how often the cacheis refreshed).

■ Controls how often NetBackup performs discovery on the vCenter server.

AAppendix

For the environments that contain many virtual machines, the discoveryprocess may place a significant load on the vCenter server.

■ Has no effect on the NetBackup policy execution schedule.

■ Is invalidated if the query rules are changed or if the policy attributes thataffect discovery are changed. In that case, NetBackup rediscovers virtualmachines the next time the policy runs, and the cache is refreshed.The following topic describes the policy attributes that affect discovery:See “Effect of Primary VM identifier parameter on Selection column in TestQuery results” on page 104.

For example: assume that the ReuseVMselectionquery results for option is setto eight hours. If additional virtual machines are powered on during the eighthour period, they are not added to the policy's backup list. The policy backs upthe virtual machines that were last added to the list (such as when the policy wascreated). After eight hours, at the next execution of the policy, the recently poweredon virtual machines are discovered and added to the backup list.

Note: The virtual machines that have been selected for backup are not displayedon the policy Clients tab. To see which virtual machines NetBackup has selectedand backed up, refer to the following topics.



The Reuse VM selection query results optionAbout the Reuse VM selection query results option

172

Backup of VMware rawdevices (RDM)


■ About VMware raw device mapping (RDM)

■ Configurations for backing up RDMs

■ About alternate client backup of RDMs

■ Requirements for alternate client backup of RDMs

■ Configuring alternate client backup of RDMs

About VMware raw device mapping (RDM)VMware raw device mapping mode (RDM) allows a virtual machine to directlyaccess physical disks. With raw device mapping, a VMware virtual machine canuse large storage devices such as disk arrays. Access to the data on an RDM diskis faster than to a fully virtualized disk (vmdk file). An RDM disk can be locallyattached to the ESX server or configured on a Fibre Channel SAN.

NetBackup supports the disk arrays that are configured on a virtual machine asRDMs.

Note: NetBackup cannot back up the RDM by means of a VMware backup host.

For notes and restrictions on NetBackup support for VMware RDM, see thefollowing Symantec tech note:

Support for NetBackup 7.x in virtual environments

BAppendix



Configurations for backing up RDMsYou can use either of the following NetBackup configurations to back up diskarrays as RDMs:

■ Without Snapshot Client: Install a NetBackup client on the virtual machine.You can configure NetBackup to back up the virtual machine and any RDMsas if the client was installed on a physical host. Without Snapshot Clientsoftware on the virtual machine, the features of Snapshot Client are notavailable. (This configuration is not discussed in this NetBackup for VMwareguide.)

■ With Snapshot Client: Install a NetBackup client and Snapshot Client softwareon the virtual machine. Configure an alternate client backup.

About alternate client backup of RDMsAlternate client backup of an RDM consists of the following:

■ The RDM disk array contains the data to be backed up. Another host containingNetBackup client software and Snapshot Client software must have access tothe disk array. This host is the alternate client. In this configuration, the virtualmachine is called the primary client.

■ A snapshot of the data is created on the disk array and is mounted on thealternate client. The alternate client creates a backup image from the snapshot,using original path names, and streams the image to the NetBackup mediaserver.

■ The alternate client handles the backup I/O processing; the backup has littleor no effect on the virtual machine. The media server reads the snapshot datafrom the alternate client and writes the data to storage.

■ The virtual machine and alternate client must be running the same operatingsystem, volume manager, and file system. For each of these I/O systemcomponents, the alternate client must be at the same level as the primaryclient, or higher level.For complete requirements on alternate client backup, refer to the Policyconfiguration chapter of theNetBackupSnapshotClientAdministrator'sGuide.

Requirements for alternate client backup of RDMsTo use NetBackup Snapshot Client to back up an RDM, note the following:

Backup of VMware raw devices (RDM)Configurations for backing up RDMs

174

■ RDM devices must be configured in physical compatibility mode. You selectthis mode when you create the RDM. Physical compatibility mode is notconfigured in NetBackup.For an introduction to RDM, refer to your VMware documentation. For example,see the following VMware document:ESX Server 3 Configuration Guide

■ NetBackup may require certain OS and array configuration, depending on theguest OS and the array. For details, see the disk arrays chapter of theNetBackupSnapshot Client Administrator's Guide.

■ NetBackup client software must be installed on the virtual machine.

■ The requirements for the NetBackup for VMware feature (a backup host andthe VMware snapshot method) do not apply to backups of RDM disk arrays.To back up RDM disk arrays, you must configure a Snapshot Client alternateclient backup.

Configuring alternate client backup of RDMsThis procedure highlights key points in creating a NetBackup alternate clientbackup of a disk array that is configured as an RDM. For broader details on diskarray configuration, refer to theNetBackupSnapshotClientAdministrator'sGuide.

175Backup of VMware raw devices (RDM)Configuring alternate client backup of RDMs

To create an alternate client policy for a disk array that is configured as an RDM

1 Select a policy type that is appropriate for the OS of the virtual machine andfor the type of data to back up.

Refer to the Policy configuration chapter of the NetBackup Snapshot ClientAdministrator's Guide.

2 On the policy Attributes tab in the Administration Console, click Performsnapshot backups and Perform off-host backup.

The following is a detail from the Attributes tab.

3 Select AlternateClient from the Use pull-down. Do not select VMwarebackuphost.

In the Machine field, enter the name of the host that is configured as anoff-host backup computer (the alternate client).

4 Click Options.

5 Select a snapshot method.

The VMware method does not apply to alternate client backup and is notavailable in the list.

Select a snapshot method that is appropriate for the volume or array. Forexample:

■ The HP_EVA_Snapclone method or other EVA method for an HP EVAarray.

■ The EMC_CLARiiON_Snapview_Clone or other CLARiiON method for anEMC CLARiiON array.

Backup of VMware raw devices (RDM)Configuring alternate client backup of RDMs

176

■ FlashSnap.For FlashSnap, the following must be installed: VxVM 3.2 or later forUNIX, VxVM 4.0 or later for Linux and AIX, or VxVM 3.1 or later forWindows. Also, volumes must be configured over the primary host’s disks.The VxVM FlashSnap license must also be installed.

■ VSS (for Windows guest operating systems only).

The array may require additional OS and NetBackup configuration asdescribed in the disk arrays chapter of the NetBackup Snapshot ClientAdministrator's Guide. The same guide contains more details on snapshotmethods.

6 If required by an array snapshot method that you selected in the previousstep, specify the Snapshot Resources.

7 In the policy’s Clients list, select the virtual machine on which the array isconfigured as an RDM.

8 In the policy’s Backup Selections list, specify the disk that you want to backup, or the files or volumes that reside on the disk.

177Backup of VMware raw devices (RDM)Configuring alternate client backup of RDMs

Backup of VMware raw devices (RDM)Configuring alternate client backup of RDMs

178

SYMCquiesce utility forLinux virtual machines


■ About the SYMCquiesce utility

■ Requirements for the SYMCquiesce utility

■ Installing the SYMCquiesce utility

■ Configuration options for the SYMCquiesce utility

■ SYMCquiesce logging and troubleshooting

About the SYMCquiesce utilityThe SYMCquiesce utility allows NetBackup to quiesce the Linux file system.Without this utility, NetBackup cannot guarantee that all required data has beenflushed to disk when the snapshot occurs. Any data that has not been flushed todisk (still in memory) is not included in a snapshot. In that case, the data that iscaptured in the snapshot is incomplete.

The SYMCquiesce utility quiesces the Linux file system, to guarantee that all datahas been flushed from memory to disk. Quiescing the file system allows anypending data changes to finish before the snapshot occurs. The data in thesnapshot is complete.

The latest information on supported platforms and file systems is available in aseparate document, Support for NetBackup 7.x in virtual environments:


CAppendix


Note: The SYMCquiesce utility is not required for Windows virtual machines.

Requirements for the SYMCquiesce utilityNote the following requirements for the SYMCquiesce utility:

■ The SYMCquiesce utility supports the following Linux operating systems:

■ Red Hat Enterprise Linux version 5.4 and later.

■ SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 Update 1 and later.

■ The SYMCquiesce utility supports the ext3 and ext4 file systems and the LVM2volume manager.

■ VMware Tools must be installed in the virtual machine.

■ The VMware Tools services must be running during the backup.

■ The NetBackup Virtual machine quiesce parameter must be enabled.This option is in the NetBackup policy, Snapshot Client Options dialog, underConfiguration parameters.

■ The SYMCquiesce utility must be installed in the virtual machine.

Installing the SYMCquiesce utilityTo install SYMCquiesce in Linux virtual machines

1 Make sure that VMware Tools are installed and that the VMware Tools servicesare running in the virtual machine.

On the virtual machine, run the ps command as follows:

ps -e | grep vmtoolsd

If VMware Tools are running, the command returns something similar to thefollowing:

3068 ? 00:00:00 vmtoolsd

For assistance with installation of VMware Tools, refer to your VMwaredocumentation.

2 Copy the SYMCquiesce ISO image into the virtual machine's ESX datastore.

On the installed NetBackup packages for Windows (master server and client),the ISO image is located in the following folder:

\NetBackup\bin\goodies\vmware-quiesce

SYMCquiesce utility for Linux virtual machinesRequirements for the SYMCquiesce utility

180

3 Attach the SYMCquiesce ISO as a CD-ROM device on the virtual machine.

The guest OS should mount the CD-ROM automatically.

4 From the mounted CD-ROM, install the SYMCquiesce rpm version that isappropriate for the virtual machine platform.

The SYMCquiesce utility is installed in /opt/SYMCquiesce/.

5 In the NetBackup policy for the virtual machine, make sure that the Virtualmachine quiesce parameter is enabled.

VMware must be selected as the policy type. Then, on the policy VMwaretab, click Advanced.

If the Virtualmachinequiesce parameter is not enabled, NetBackup cannotquiesce the file system before the snapshot occurs. As a result, the data thatis captured in the snapshot may not be complete.

See “VMware - Advanced Attributes dialog” on page 57.


Configuration options for the SYMCquiesce utilityThe SYMCquiesce utility includes a configuration file (/opt/SYMCquiesce/config)that contains the following options. By default, the options are commented outwith a # character at the start of the line.

Table C-1 SYMCquiesce configuration options

DescriptionConfiguration option

By default, this option is disabled. The snapshot does not fail even ifquiescence fails on a volume in the virtual machine. Enable this option tocause the snapshot job and the backup job to fail if quiescence fails.

fail_snapshot_on_failure=true/false

By default, this option is disabled. The SYMCquiesce utility freezes thevirtual machine volumes for three seconds during the snapshot. Enablethis option to change the timeout period.

You may need to change this timeout if the virtual machine snapshot onthe ESX server does not complete within the 3-second window.

timeout=timeout value in

seconds

For example:

#fail_snapshot_on_failure=true

timeout=20

181SYMCquiesce utility for Linux virtual machinesConfiguration options for the SYMCquiesce utility

In this example, the fail_snapshot_on_failure option is commented out(disabled), and the timeout is set to 20 seconds.

SYMCquiesce logging and troubleshootingSYMCquiesce logs indicate whether quiescence of the Linux virtual machinevolumes was successful. SYMCquiesce logs are written to/opt/SYMCquiesce/logs.Logging is enabled by default (no configuration step is required) and cannot bedisabled.

Log file names are of the form mmddyy.log. When a backup runs, a new log iscreated if one does not already exist for that date. A backup that runs on the 22ndof October 2010 creates a log named 102210.log.

An example from a SYMCquiesce log:

Stats - Thu Oct 28 18:51:58 2010

Freeze of volume [/] returned status [0]

Thaw of volume [/] returned status [0]

Freeze of volume [/boot] returned status [0]

Thaw of volume [/boot] returned status [0]

Where:

Stats : shows the time of the log entry when volumes where being quiesced.

status [0]: no error. The freeze operation or the thaw operation completedsuccessfully.

status [-1]: error. The freeze operation or the thaw operation did not completesuccessfully.

If the freeze and the thaw completed successfully, the volume was successfullyquiesced.

Note the following:

■ You can use the logs with the fail_snapshot_on_failure option in/opt/SYMCquiesce/config file. If that option is enabled and snapshots fail,consult the SYMCquiesce logs to see which volume’s quiescence fails.

■ If the virtual machine has both ext2 and ext3 volumes (or ext2 and ext4), andthe fail_snapshot_on_failure option is enabled, the snapshot fails. ext2 filesystems do not support quiescence. You must disable thefail_snapshot_on_failureoption to get a successful snapshot of the volumes.Note however that the ext2 volume cannot be quiesced. As a result, any data

SYMCquiesce utility for Linux virtual machinesSYMCquiesce logging and troubleshooting

182

changes to that volume that had not been flushed to disk before the snapshotare not included in the snapshot.See “About the NetBackup.lost+found directory on Linux” on page 147.

183SYMCquiesce utility for Linux virtual machinesSYMCquiesce logging and troubleshooting

SYMCquiesce utility for Linux virtual machinesSYMCquiesce logging and troubleshooting

184

Symbols156 (status code) 165227 (status code) 1632805 (status code) 1642817 (status code) 1645 (status code) 1646 (status code) 162

AActivity Monitor

to monitor VM backups 117Advanced Mode

Query Builder 84ALL_LOCAL_DRIVES 165alternate client backup

configure for RDM 175of RDM 174

alternate location for restore 134AND vs OR 89

Join field in Query Builder 85automatic selection of virtual machines 51

about 72Advanced Mode 84Basic Mode 81cache file for 171Clients tab 78examples 72, 86notes on 74Query Builder f ields 94requirements 77task overview 77testing 102with multiple policies 88

Bbackup

host 18how to configure 48how to perform 115job hangs 167

backup (continued)monitoring with Activity Monitor 117monitoring with OpsCenter 122process overview 21reduce size of 109

backup hostadding to configuration 39

backup media server 18adding to configuration 39

Basic Modeedit rule in Query Builder 84Query Builder 81

best practices 151BIOS

reconfigure for booting 170BLIB 53, 68, 110block-level incremental backup. See BLIBblocks

exclude deleted 53browse virtual machines 61browsing timeout 159

Ccache file

for browsing virtual machines 63for Query Builder results 171

catalog header filewrong value for VM_TYPE 170

catalog information in 6.5.x 170change VMware hostname in NetBackup 42Changed Block Tracking 110

how to enable 112Client Reports

using OpsCenter 122Clients tab

automatic selection of virtual machines 78description of fields for queries 94

code 156 error 165code 227 error 163code 5 error 164code 6 error 162

Index

compound query rules 91configuration

of auto selection of virtual machines 78, 81overview for backup of VMs 27

configuration datastore 125Consolidate-Helper snapshot 169Converter

VMware 19crash consistent snapshot 147credentials

adding for VMware 40troubleshooting 161

cross-platform restore 123ctkEnabled 112Cumulative Incremental Backup 50

Ddatacenter

for restore 137datacenter folders

rules in Query Builder 93datastore

in a datastore cluster 137out of space 169restore of 137

deduplication 152delete

vSphere Client snapshot 111Differential Incremental Backup 50disable virtual machine quiesce 58Discovered Timestamp 64disk array

configured as RDM 175display name 54, 64DNS name 54drives

and reboot failure 170

Eedit rules in Query Builder 84EMM database

remove VM host name from NetBackup 42Enable block-level incremental backup 53, 110encrypted drives 32encryption of snapshot data transport 56, 131Enterprise Client license 22environment

importance to performance 158

equipment 158escape character

use of in Query Builder 101ESX server 18, 40

short host name and restore 166Exclude deleted blocks option 53exclude list

speed up discovery of virtual machines 63ext file systems, Linux 126, 182extended attributes, restore of 126

Ffailed virtual machines

in test query 103FIFO files, Linux 126file system

Linux, restore of 126firewall 166

Ggrouping rules in Query Builder 84, 91

Hheader file

VM_TYPE value 170helper virtual machine

for hotadd transport mode 37host name 54, 64

changing in NetBackup 42host properties

for VMware 39hotadd transport mode 56, 131, 162

notes on 35hypervisor 23

IIgnore diskless VMs 59, 166imported image

trouble restoring 170incremental backup

about 68requirements 50setting up 68

independent disk 24, 64, 166how to back up 32

Install Software option 51Instant Recovery not supported 32Intelligent Policy 72

Index186

invalid client 170ISO file 164IsSet operator examples 88

Jjob hangs 167Join field in Query Builder 85

Kkeywords

in Query Builder 95

LLast Update 63license requirements 22Linux

and SYMCquiesce utility 34install SYMCquiesce utility 180NetBackup lost+found directory 147notes on 34notes on restore 126requirements for SYMCquiesce 180SYMCquiesce utility for 179

loggingfor SYMCquiesce utility 182how to create folders for 157VMware 156vSphere 159VxMS 157

lost+found directory 147LVM2 volume 34, 126

MMAC address 126manual backup 115monitor backups

with Activity monitor 117with OpsCenter 122

mount pointmissing 169

multiple policiesfor auto selection of VMs 88

Nnbdiscover command 102

to test a query 75, 78, 80nbemmcmd 42

NetBackup.lost+found 147Network Block Device (NBD) transport 56, 131Network Block Device (NBD) transport with SSL 56,

131Network Connections dialog 140NFC connections 167NFS share, Linux 126NTFS file system

for USB drives 32

Ooperators

in Query Builder 99OpsCenter

to monitor VM backups 122optimized storage 109order of operations

Query Builder 89rules in Query Builder 84

overviewconfiguration steps 27of backup process 21restore procedure 144

overwrite virtual machine 132

Pparentheses

for grouping rules in Query Builder 84for rules in Query Builder 91

path lengthmaximum for Linux/UNIX files 34

Perform Recovery dialog 140policy

and cache file for auto selection of VMs 171configure for auto VM selection 81for full virtual machine backup 48multiple, for auto VM selection 88types 49wizard for creating 47

Policy Configuration wizard 47port number 42, 161precedence 89prerequisites 31Primary VM identifier

setting 54Primary VM identifier parameter

and IsSet operator 88and multiple policies 88

187Index

Primary VM identifier parameter (continued)and testing query rules 103, 105and VM Name column in Test query 106

privileges 161

QQuery Builder

and Primary VM identifier parameter 105cache file for results 171configuration in Advanced Mode 84configuration in Basic Mode 81description of fields 94edit rule in 84enter rules manually 84escape character 101examples 86IsSet operator examples 88keywords 95operators 99order of operations 89quotation marks 101testing rules for 102–103to select virtual machines for backup 72values 101wildcards 101with multiple policies 88

query builderto filter virtual machines for backup 51

quiesce 179install SYMCquiesce utility 180Linux file system 126, 147Linux, notes on 34

quiesce virtual machine 58quotation marks

use of in Query Builder 101

RRDM 24, 166

about 173alternate client backup of 174–175configurations supported 174

reboot failure 170Recovery Destination dialog 130recovery host 18, 131Recovery Options dialog 131, 135recovery wizard. See restore from vStorage backupreduce size of backup 109

release levelusing mixed levels 149

remove VMware host name from NetBackup EMMdatabase 42

reports on backupsusing OpsCenter 122

resource poolfor virtual machine restore 137

resource poolsrules in Query Builder 92

restoreand catalog information 170from VCB backup 141from vStorage backup 130how to 128individual files 145job hangs 167maximum path length for Linux/UNIX files 34notes on 123procedure overview 144to ESX server with short host name 166virtual machine 128

Restore Marked Files dialog 141Reuse VM selection query results 171rules in Query Builder

about 73configuring 81editing 84examples 73examples with parentheses 91for datacenter folders 93for resource pools 92IsSet operator examples 88manual entry of 84order of evaluation 84order of operations 89testing 102testing failued 103

run a backup 115

SSAN luns 164SAN transport mode 56, 131SCSI drives

and reboot failure 170scsiX:X.ctkEnabled 112Select automatically through query 51select automatically through query

virtual machines 72

Index188

Select ESX server dialog 138Select Folder dialog 138server name

changing in NetBackup 42short ESX host names 166size of backups

reducing 109snapshot

how to enable Changed Block Tracking 112in inconsistent state 147vSphere Client

how to delete 111socket files, Linux 126SRM environment and replication 59, 166SSL encryption of snapshot data 56, 131start a backup 115status code 156 165status code 227 163status code 2805 164status code 2817 164status code 5 164status code 6 162Storage Destination dialog 139storage optimization 32, 109

enable Changed Block Tracking 112how to delete snapshot for 111

SYMCquiesce utility 147about 179configuration of 181installing 180logging 182requirements 180

Ttemplate VM 32terminology 22Test Query screen 102

and Primary VM identifier parameter 105–106failed virtual machines 103nbdiscover as alternative 75, 78, 80

thin provisioned disks 134timeout

browsing 159timeouts

vSphere 159transport modes

and hung job 167for restore 131hotadd 35

troubleshootingstatus codes 162tips 160

UUSB drives

as the snapshot mount point 32UUID 54, 64

Vvalidate

credentials 40values

in Query Builder 101vApp

browsing virtual machines within 63for virtual machine restore 137

VCB 25port number 42restore from backup 141

VCB-HELPER suffix 37vCenter Converter 141vCenter server 19Virtual Machine Intelligent Policy 72Virtual machine quiesce option 58Virtual Machine recovery wizard

restore to alternate location 134virtual machines

auto selection from cache file 171browsing 61configure backup policy for 48configure for auto selection of 81how to back up 115monitor backups of 117, 122notes on query builder 74requirements for auto selection 77Select automatically through query 51select automatically through query 72testing auto selection of 102

virtual networkselect for restore 140

VirtualCenter server 19VM Name column in Test Query screen 106VM_TYPE value in header file 170vmdk file 25

backup fails if none assigned 59, 166VMware

backup environment 17

189Index

VMware (continued)backup host 39backup media server 39backups 115configuration overview 27Converter 19credentials 40ESX server 18, 40host properties 39introduction 13logging 156main features 13policy configuration 48required components 17restores 128terminology 22troubleshooting 156

VMware NetBackup Integration Module (VNIM) 19VMware policy 49VMware policy tab 49VMware Tools 25VMX directory 125vmx-07 50vNetwork Distributed Switch 140VNIM 19, 161Volume Manager volumes 69vSphere Client

enable Changed Block Tracking 112vSphere Client snapshot

how to delete 111vStorage 25

incrementals 68restore from backup made by 130

VxMS logging 157

Wwildcards

use of in Query Builder 101wizard

to create backup policy 47to recover virtual machine 130

Index190

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